Gestational age, baby-friendly hospital practices and breastfeeding duration in healthy full-term infants in Hong Kong

Early-term birth is a birth occurring between 37 and 39 weeks’gestation and is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. Breastfeeding can provide numerous benefits to infants and could potentially offset the adverse neonatal effects of early-term birth. However, little is known about the effect of early-term birthon any and exclusive breastfeeding duration. Additionally, early-term infants may be more likely to have a different postnatal hospital experience than term infants, such as being separated from the mother in the early postnatal period. Studies suggest that Baby-friendly hospital practices can affect breastfeeding duration and exclusivity. However, few studies have been conducted to examine if there are any differences in exposure and the effect of Baby-friendly practices on breastfeeding duration in early-term and term infants. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to examine the associations between gestational age in early-term (37 to <39 weeks) and term infants (39 to