Impact of a hospital-based online breastfeeding resource on early exclusive breastfeeding for women with gestational diabetes

To explore exclusive breastfeeding rates of women who have gestational diabetes, before and after the introduction of a hospital-based online resource, until discharge from hospital. This paper reports findings from phase 4 of a participatory action research study that implemented a hospital-based online resource to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates on discharge from hospital for women with gestational diabetes. Breastfeeding outcomes were measured using hospital data before and after introducing the online resource. Women were also asked for their experiences and feedback via an online postnatal survey 4 to 6 weeks after birth. This study was conducted in a regional Australian hospital amongst women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who birthed before 2020 (n=174) and during 2022 (n=191). Hospital data indicated a higher proportion of women initiated exclusive breastfeeding at birth following the introduction of the online resource (71.3% pre-vs 80.6% post-intervention); however, there was no significant improvement at discharge from hospital.