Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates Upon Hospital Discharge at a Tertiary Centre Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to describe exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates at discharge at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and explore factors that contributed to changes in breastfeeding rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 4762 patient charts were reviewed, 2000 from the pre-pandemic period, and 2762 from the lockdown period. Data was collected on EBF status at discharge, on maternal health history, and on infant characteristics. EBF rates fell from 75.8% to 73.85% from the pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 period. During the pandemic, EBF was positively associated with BMI <30, spontaneous conception, and infants at risk of low blood sugar. Non-spontaneous conception was associated with lower EBF.