Breastfeeding of Indigenous Infants From a Small Rural Cohort in Australia

Abstract Background Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended during an infant’s first six months of life as it adequately meets the nutritional needs of the infant. The aim of this study was to describe the intention to breastfeed, and breastfeeding trends of Indigenous participants in the Gomeroi Gaaynggal cohort. Methods The Gomeroi Gaaynggal study was a longitudinal cohort of Indigenous mother-child dyads. Mothers were recruited to the study by Indigenous research assistants. Mother’s intention to breastfeed and previous breastfeeding history were obtained from hospital antenatal records. Infant breastfeeding details were obtained at approximately 3-, 6-, 9-,12- and 24-month visits. Data were analysed descriptively. Results Obstetric details were obtained from a total of 250 mothers. Breastfeeding data were available for 133 infants and provided 302 entries between 3- and 24-months of age. Most of the mothers (72%) indicated an intention to breastfeed their infants exclusively after delivery. Approximately 84% of infants received some form of breastfeeding. Half of the infants (50%) ceased breastfeeding by approximately 50 days. Only 15% of mothers reported having trouble with breastfeeding. Conclusion Findings from this study are consistent with breastfeeding trends among other Australian populations. Further investigations are required to identify factors contributing to the short breastfeeding duration observed in this cohort.