PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Saginur, Michael
AU  - Abdulnour, Joseph
AU  - Guérin, Eva
AU  - Bancroft, Xaand
AU  - Corsi, Daniel J.
AU  - Zazzera, Vincent Della
AU  - Bouattane, El Mostafa
TI  - Association between newborn hypoglycemia screening and breastfeeding success in an Ottawa, Ontario, hospital: a retrospective cohort study
AID  - 10.9778/cmajo.20210324
DP  - 2023 Mar 01
TA  - CMAJ Open
PG  - E381--E388
VI  - 11
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/11/2/E381.short
4100  - http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/11/2/E381.full
SO  - CMAJ2023 Mar 01; 11
AB  - Background: There has been limited investigation of the unintended effects of routine screening for asymptomatic hypoglycemia in at-risk newborns. This study aimed to explore whether rates of exclusive breastfeeding were lower in screened babies than in unscreened babies.Methods: This retrospective cohort study conducted in Ottawa, Canada, used data from Hôpital Montfort’s electronic health information system. Healthy singleton newborns discharged between Feb. 1, 2014, and June 30, 2018, were included. We excluded babies and mothers with conditions expected to interfere with breastfeeding (e.g., twins). We investigated the association between postnatal screening for hypoglycemia and initial exclusive breastfeeding (in the first 24 hours of life).Results: We included 10 965 newborns; of these, 1952 (17.8%) were fully screened for hypoglycemia. Of screened newborns, 30.6% exclusively breastfed and 64.6% took both formula and breastmilk in the first 24 hours of life. Of unscreened newborns, 45.4% exclusively breastfed and 49.8% received both formula and breastmilk. The adjusted odds ratio for exclusive breastfeeding in the first 24 hours of life among newborns screened for hypoglycemia was 0.57 (95% confidence interval 0.51–0.64).Interpretation: The association of routine newborn hypoglycemia screening with a lower initial rate of exclusive breastfeeding suggests a potential effect of screening on early breastfeeding success. Confirmation of these findings might warrant a re-evaluation of the net benefit of asymptomatic postnatal hypoglycemia screening for different newborn populations at risk of hypoglycemia.