Can I breastfeed my baby with Down syndrome? A scoping review.

AIM: To summarise existing evidence about barriers and enablers to breastfeeding babies with Down syndrome (DS) in peer-reviewed literature.

METHODS

Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Scopus and Ovid Emcare were searched. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen yielded articles and those meeting the criteria were included for data extraction. Two authors extracted data including outcomes, design, definition of DS, barriers and enablers to breastfeeding babies with DS.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Barriers and enablers were categorised into maternal, child and health professional factors.

CONCLUSIONS

This review identified a significant literature gap related to breastfeeding babies with DS and more definitive research under current standards is needed. Mothers reported the need for high-quality health professional breastfeeding support and evidence-based effective breastfeeding techniques. A collaborated and concerted approach from both mothers and health professionals is important to optimise breastfeeding for babies with DS.