The association between breastfeeding, the stress response, @entity32 , and postpartum XXXX during the postpartum period: Prospective cohort study.

@entity1 @entity32 @entity650 @entity308 @entity1356 @entity310 @entity379 @entity701 @entity687 @entity688
BACKGROUND: Research suggests that exclusive breastfeeding may have a stress-protective role in postpartum @entity308 ; however, less is known about the underlying mechanisms by which this protection may occur or whether the protective relationship holds for @entity1 who mix breast and bottle feeding. OBJECTIVES: To examine patterns of the stress response, @entity32 , and @entity308 among @entity1 predominantly breastfeeding or bottle feeding their @entity1 at 6 months postpartum. DESIGN: A part of a larger longitudinal study across 6 months postpartum investigating the psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) of postpartum @entity308 . SETTING: Prenatal clinics and community. @entity1 : One hundred nineteen postpartum @entity1 who met inclusion/exclusion criteria and followed up from the prenatal period to postpartum 6 months. METHODS: Data were collected during seven home visits occurring during the 3rd trimester (weeks 32-36) and on postpartum days 7 and 14, months 1, 2, 3, and 6. @entity1 completed stress and @entity308 surveys and provided blood for pro- ( @entity1356 , @entity650 , @entity687 , @entity310 , @entity379 ) and anti-inflammatory ( @entity688 ) cytokines, and collected saliva for diurnal @entity701 . RESULTS: Self-report of predominant breastfeeding during 6 months postpartum ranged from 91.9% at day 7 to 70.6% at month 6 postpartum. There were no associations between the pattern of feeding and @entity308 . Biological differences, however, existed between the groups, with levels of salivary @entity701 at 8 AM and 8:30 AM at month 6 higher and levels of @entity650 at month 6 lower in @entity1 who primarily breastfed compared to those who primarily bottle fed their @entity1 after controlling for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding was not related to postpartum @entity308 however differences in stress and inflammatory markers are apparent at month 6 postpartum.
