Do women's breastfeeding experiences with their first‐borns affect whether they breastfeed their subsequent children?

Abstract

Data on women with at least two children are used to examine how the breastfeeding experience with the first child affects whether subsequent children are breastfed. Our results indicate that women most often repeat with later children the feeding decision they made with their first child. That is, those who breastfed their first child are very likely to breastfeed a later child and those who did not breastfeed their firstborn are unlikely to breastfeed a later‐bom. Among those who did not breastfeed their first child, education beyond high school increases the likelihood that they will switch to breastfeeding with a later‐born. Those who breastfed their first child are less likely to breastfeed a later‐born if the first breastfeeding experience was of short duration or was perceived to be unsuccessful or unsatisfactory or if the woman had not gone beyond high school or received anesthesia at the later birth. Hence, educational differences are greater at higher parities than at first parity.