Maternity and neonatal nurses' believes about colostrum

ABSTRACT

Breast-feeding is one of the most important contributors of neonatal, infant and child health, growth and development. Its benefits are greatly enhanced if breast -feeding starts within one hour after birth, with no pre-lacteal feeds. Early breast-feeding allows the baby to enjoy the benefits of colostrum and prevents many infant feeding problems. The maternity and neonatal nurse should know the believes of the women about colostrum and should have a positive attitude towards it. This study aims to explore maternity and neonatal nurses' believes about colostrum. The study was conducted at postnatal department of El-Shatby Maternity University Hospital in Alexandria. Subjects of the study were staff nurses working at the previously mentioned setting. A questionnaire sheet was used for data collection and a likert type- scale form of three continuum [agree, not sure and disagree] was adopted The results of this study revealed that, the younger the age, the less level of education and the fewer years of experience are associated with more negative believes about colostrum