ABSTRACT
Background: Breast milk is produced by the breast of the mother which is a complete nutrition for infants. In Pakistan, breastfeeding is suboptimal and beyond the set targets of World Health Organization [WHO]. There are certain supportive factors and obstacles for the mothers, which play their roles in initiation and maintaining the breastfeeding
Objective: This study was conducted, to find out the supportive factors and obstacles in the initiation and maintaining the breastfeeding
Subjects and Methods: This was a cross sectional study, conducted in the Pediatric Unit of Sheikh Zayed Medical College / Hospital Rahim Yar Khan, during the month of March 2014. The study subjects were only those mothers who were present in the ward along with their infants under 6 months of age. A questionnaire was designed and 189 mothers were interviewed regarding different factors in initiation and continuation of breastfeeding, after taking their consent
Results: This study was conducted on 189 mothers. Regarding place of delivery 102 mothers who had domiciliary delivery, 88 [86.27%] breastfed their baby, 74 mothers who had normal hospital delivery, 51 [69%] preferred breastfeeding and among 13 C-section cases 5 [38.46%] mothers chose to breastfeed their babies. The results shows that 78.95%, 63.41% and 33.33% mothers chose breast-feeding in first, second and successive deliveries respectively. 13 [38.09%] out of 21 teenage mothers not their babies and in mothers of 21-30 years of age, 28[25%] did not breast fest fed their child. In mothers out of 30 years of age, 23[43%] out of 53 mothers did not breastfed
Conclusion: Our study showed that domiciliary place of delivery, 1[st] delivery, age of mother in twenties, family motivation and housewives were the factors that promoted the breast feeding practices. A collaborative awareness campaign by social media, family workers and health personals about breastfeeding should be designed especially for teenagers and primiparas that could settle their apprehensions and other issues about problems of lactation