Purpose
This study aimed to determine the influence of a breastfeeding coaching program (BCP) for mothers of late preterm infants (LPIs) on the breastfeeding rate and neonatal morbidity within 1 month after discharge.
Methods
This was a non-randomized quasi-experimental study with a time series design. The participants were 40 LPIs and their mothers who were hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit at a university hospital. Nineteen LPIs were assigned to the control group, and 21 to the experimental group. The mothers of the LPIs in the experimental group received the BCP once on the discharge day and then once a week for 1 month. Neonatal morbidity was defined as an outpatient department or emergency room visit due to an LPI's health problem.
Results
The breastfeeding rate in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group at the fourth week after discharge (x²=7.17, p=.028). Five and two LPIs in the control group and the experimental group, respectively, visited a hospital due to neonatal jaundice. Neonatal morbidity was not significantly different between the two groups (x²=1.95, p=.164).
Conclusion
The BCP was useful for improving the breastfeeding rates of LPIs and may have potential to reduce neonatal morbidity.

Citations

• Mother’s Own Milk Provision During the First 12 Weeks of Life by Gestational Age
  Aloka L. Patel, Joshua Wilson, Melissa Holmes, Tricia J. Johnson
  JAMA Network Open.2025; 8(3): e250024.     CrossRef
• Effects of an Online Theory‐Based Educational Programme for Primiparous Women on Improving Breastfeeding‐Related Outcomes: A Randomised Controlled Trial
  Mei Sze Wong, Wai Tong Chien
  Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• A qualitative study on the perspectives of prenatal breastfeeding educational classes in Ireland: Implications for maternal breastfeeding decisions
  Jennifer Kehinde, Claire O’Donnell, Annmarie Grealish, Trhas Tadesse Berhe
  PLOS ONE.2024; 19(12): e0315269.     CrossRef
• The Effect of Breastfeeding and an Intensive Breast Milk Nutritional Support Program on Hospitalization Rates for Hyperbilirubinemia in Term Newborns: An Open Randomized Controlled Trial
  Nursan Cinar, Özge Karakaya Suzan, Ibrahim Caner, Sultan Peksen, Pinar Tabakoglu, Vedat Cinar
  Journal of Tropical Pediatrics.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Effects of a breastfeeding coaching program on growth and neonatal jaundice in late preterm infants in South Korea
  Gun Ja Jang, Sangjin Ko
  Child Health Nursing Research.2021; 27(4): 377.     CrossRef

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a breastfeeding support program (BSP) on the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and growth in late-preterm infants.
Methods
A quasi-experimental study was conducted. The participants were 40 late preterm infants (LPIs), of whom 20 were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control group. For the mothers in the experimental group, a BSP was provided prior to the LPIs’ discharge and reinforced once a week for 4 weeks. Information on the feeding type was collected by observation and the LPIs’ body weight was measured.
Results
There were significant differences in feeding type by group and time. Exclusive breastfeeding was 5.18 times more common in the experimental group than in the control group (odds ratio=5.18, 95% confidence interval=1.11~16.70). However, weekly weight gain did not show a significant relationship with group and time (F=0.40, p=.712).
Conclusion
The BSP was helpful for increasing the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in LPIs. Furthermore, the LPIs in the experimental group, which had a higher likelihood of being exclusively breastfed, showed an equivalent amount of weight gain as the LPIs in the control group, in which infants were more likely to be formula-fed.

Citations

• Effectiveness of Postnatal Maternal or Caregiver Interventions on Outcomes among Infants under Six Months with Growth Faltering: A Systematic Review
  Ritu Rana, Barkha Sirwani, Saranya Mohandas, Richard Kirubakaran, Shuby Puthussery, Natasha Lelijveld, Marko Kerac
  Nutrients.2024; 16(6): 837.     CrossRef
• Impact of theory of planned behavior based intervention on breastfeeding patterns of the mothers with preterm infants: a randomized trial
  Shirin Okhovat, Mojgan Janighorban, Ashraf Kazemi
  BMC Public Health.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Challenges and Choices in Breastfeeding Healthy, Sick and Preterm Babies: Review
  Susanne H. Bauer, Harald Abele, Joachim Graf
  Healthcare.2024; 12(23): 2418.     CrossRef
• Nutritional Management of Moderate- and Late-Preterm Infants Commenced on Intravenous Fluids Pending Mother's Own Milk: Cohort Analysis From the DIAMOND Trial
  Tanith Alexander, Michael Meyer, Jane E. Harding, Jane M. Alsweiler, Yannan Jiang, Clare Wall, Mariana Muelbert, Frank H. Bloomfield
  Frontiers in Pediatrics.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Effects of a breastfeeding coaching program on growth and neonatal jaundice in late preterm infants in South Korea
  Gun Ja Jang, Sangjin Ko
  Child Health Nursing Research.2021; 27(4): 377.     CrossRef
• Influence of a Breastfeeding Coaching Program on the Breastfeeding Rates and Neonatal Morbidity in Late Preterm Infants
  Gun Ja Jang
  Child Health Nursing Research.2020; 26(3): 376.     CrossRef

Purpose
To investigate factors that may affect the method of feeding among preterm infants at 4 weeks after discharge.
Methods
This study included 222 mother-infant dyads born before a gestational age of 37 weeks. The feeding method and general medical characteristics of the participants were assessed at 4 weeks after discharge using a structured questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine which factors were associated with breastfeeding at home.
Results
Of the 222 infants who qualified for the study, 71 (32.9%) continued to receive breastmilk at 4 weeks post-discharge. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that breastfeeding at 4 weeks post-discharge was associated with higher breastfeeding self-efficacy, vaginal delivery (experience), direct breastfeeding in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), gestational age between 30 and 34 weeks, and breastmilk consumption in the NICU. The following factors were associated with mixed feeding at 4 weeks post-discharge: being employed, having higher breastfeeding self-efficacy, and direct breastfeeding in the NICU.
Conclusion
NICU nurses should provide opportunities for direct breastfeeding during hospitalization and support breastfeeding to enhance breastfeeding self-efficacy. These factors may help to ensure the continuation of breastfeeding after discharge. Moreover, factors that affect breastfeeding should be considered when providing interventions.

Citations

• Identifying Latent Topics and Trends in Premature Infant–Related Nursing Studies Using a Latent Dirichlet Allocation Method
  Myeong Seon Lee, Seonah Lee
  CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing.2023; 41(12): 957.     CrossRef

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of breastfeeding and factors which affect late preterm infants’ (LPIs) breastfeeding according to gestational age.
Methods
Participants were LPIs of 34 weeks (n=70), 35 weeks (n=75), and 36 weeks (n=88). Data were collected from July to December, 2011 from four university hospitals in D city. Descriptive statistics and odds ratio were used to compare three groups.
Results
The rate of breastfeeding at 1 week after LPIs’ discharge was 32.9%, 37.3%, 23.9% at 34, 35 and 36 weeks, respectively. The tendency to breastfeed in LPIs of 34 weeks was lower for LPIs born by Cesarean-section, while it was higher for LPIs with a longer period of breastfeeding during hospitalization and higher body weight at the first day of feeding. The prevalence of breastfeeding in LPIs of 35 weeks and 36 weeks was higher for infants with a history of more frequent breastfeeding during hospitalization.
Conclusion
The rate of breastfeeding in LPIs of 36 weeks was the lowest. This study suggests that nurses should give more customized education to mothers with LPIs of 36 weeks during their stay in hospitals.

Citations

• Factors Influencing Breast Milk Feeding in Singleton Late Preterm Infants
  Su Jin Kim, Gun Ja Jang
  Journal of Health Informatics and Statistics.2020; 45(4): 311.     CrossRef
• Prevalence and Predictors of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Late Preterm Infants at 12 Weeks
  Soo Yeon Lee, Gun Ja Jang
  Child Health Nursing Research.2016; 22(2): 79.     CrossRef