MATERNAL OBESITY AND BREAST-FEEDING SUCCESS IN A RURAL-POPULATION OF WHITE WOMEN

Maternal obesity interferes with the initiation and maintenance of lac tation in animal models but it has not been investigated widely in wom en. We reviewed medical records from a white population to examine the relation between prepregnant overweight [body mass index (BMT; in kg/ m(2)) 26.1-29.0] and obesity (BMI > 29.0) on initiation and duration o f breast-feeding. Logistic regression revealed that of those who ever put their infants to the breast (n = 810), women who were overweight [ odds ratio (OR) = 2.54, P < 0.05] or obese (OR = 3.65, P < 0.0008) had less success initiating breast-feeding than did their normal-weight c ounterparts (BMI < 26.1). Proportional-hazards regression revealed hig her rates of discontinuation of exclusive breast-feeding in overweight (RR = 1.42, P < 0.04) and obese (RR = 1.43, P < 0.02) women and highe r discontinuation of breast-feeding to any extent in overweight (RR = 1.68, P < 0.006) and obese (RR = 1.73, P = 0.001) women. Controlling f or parity, socioeconomic status, maternal education, and other factors that often covary with maternal obesity and breast-feeding did not ch ange these results. These results suggest that excessive fatness in th e reproductive period may inhibit lactational performance in women.