Breast-Milk Sodium as a Predictor of Breastfeeding Patterns

Abstract

This study partially replicates and extends a study reporting that elevated breast-milk sodium BM [Na+] during early lactogenesis was predictive of poor breastfeeding outcomes. The present study used 6-day postpartum breast milk. Consistent with the findings of the earlier study, 80% of those with a BM [Na+] of 16 inmol /L or lower at day 6 sustained a high level of breastfeeding at week 4, compared to only 50% of those with an elevated BM [Na+] (x2 = 4.05, df = I, p =.04). This difference was even greater in a subgroup of mothers predicted to be at high risk for insufficient milk supply on the basis of support density and self-perception variables. Of the latter group, 75% with low BM [Na+] sustained a high level of breastfeeding at 4 weeks postpartum, compared to only 22% with an elevated BM [Na+] (x2 = .65, df = 1, p =.01). In contrast, among the low-risk