Breast feeding practices in Onitsha South Eastern Nigeria - 2 years after baby friendly initiative

ABSTRACT

"Objective: To study the impact of ""baby friendly hospital initiative"" on breast feeding practices in Onitsha South Eastern Nigeria; 2 years after introduction. Setting: Holy Rosary Maternity Hospital Onitsha. Materials and methods: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 178 breast feeding mothers on maternal age; mothers' educational attainment; attendance at breast talks; and acceptance of exclusive breast feeding. Information was also obtained on feeding in the post natal ward; breast feeding practices at 6 weeks; 10 weeks; 14 weeks; 6 months; 9 months; 12 months; 18 months and 24 months post delivery. The data obtained was analyzed. Results: Breast feeding practices was studied among 178 breast feeding mothers attending the infant welfare clinics of Holy Rosary Maternity Hospital Onitsha; 2 years after it was made a ""Baby Friendly Hospital"". A total of 145 or 81.4 of the mothers were between the ages of 20 and 34 years; and all of them had some level of formal education with 59 of them acquiring secondary education. About one third or 33.1 of them were full time housewives while the rest engaged in one form of professional activity. While two thirds or 67.4 of the mothers attended breast feeding talk sessions 89 had knowledge of breast feeding support group and utilized their services during ante natal visits. Seventy three percent initiated breast feeding within less than an hour of delivery. All most all the mothers (99.4) established breast feeding by the time they were leaving the hospital on discharge and continued breast feeding up to 6 weeks post discharge. This proportion dropped to 84.3 at 12 months and to 1.1 at 24 months. Exclusive breast feeding rate fell from 99.4 on discharge to 3.9 at 6 months; while ""on-demand"" was practiced by 99.9 of the study population. Conclusion: We therefore recommend that the Campaign on Baby Friendly Initiative activities should continue and be strengthened to effect the ""The ten steps to successful breast feeding."