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U study: Health woes lead some moms to avoid breastfeeding

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Mothers who enter pregnancy in poorer health are less likely to breastfeed, a University of Minnesota study has found.

Women with diabetes, hypertension or who were obese were 30 percent less likely to intend to breastfeed their child compared to mothers with uncomplicated pregnancies, according to findings from a national survey of 2,400 mothers.

Some mothers may be wrongly anticipating they cannot breast feed, said Katy Kozhimannil, the study's lead author said Wednesday.

"Somebody may tell them, mostly in error, that they can't breastfeed due to a medical condition, or they may have heard that or they may worry about that," she said.

Mothers with complex pregnancies may need extra support from health care providers to successfully breastfeed, though the study showed these mothers were less likely to receive recommended hospital-based breastfeeding support, including helping moms initiate breastfeeding in the hour after birth, Kozhimannil added.