Breastfeeding Intention Compared With Breastfeeding Postpartum Among Women Receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment:

Background:Women taking methadone or buprenorphine are encouraged to breastfeed if stable without polysubstance use.Research Aim:We aimed to determine the difference between stated intention to breastfeed prenatally in women taking methadone or buprenorphine compared with breastfeeding at discharge and 2 months postpartum. Secondary outcomes were determining whether breastfeeding was more common in women taking buprenorphine, in women without hepatitis C infection, and in women without a history of heroin use, and whether breastfeeding reduced the need for pharmacological treatment of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study of 228 women enrolled in a perinatal substance abuse treatment program. Electronic medical records were reviewed to abstract data on mother-infant dyads. Chi-square tests were used to analyze our outcomes.Results:Women taking buprenorphine had a higher prevalence of breastfeeding compared with women taking methadone (83% [n = 100] vs. 71% [n = ...