Breastfeeding education, early skin-to-skin contact and other strong determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in an urban population: a prospective study

Abstract

ObjectiveThe current study aims to demonstrate independent associations between social, educational and health practice interventions as determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in an urban Ecuadorian population.DesignProspective survival analyses.SettingEcuadorian mother–child dyads in urban settings.ParticipantsWe followed-up 363 mother–baby dyads who attended healthcare centres in Portoviejo, province of Manabi, for a median time (P25–P75) of 125 days (121–130 days).Main outcome measuresWe performed a survival analysis, by setting the time-to-abandonment of exclusive breastfeeding measured in days of life, that is, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, periodically assessed by phone, as the primary outcome. Crude and adjusted mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards model were performed to estimate HRs for each explanatory variable.ResultsThe incidence rate of abandonment of breastfeeding was 8.9 per 1000 person-days in the whole sample. Multivariate analysis indicated the three most significant protective determinants of exclusive breastfeeding were (a) sessions of prenatal breastfeeding education with an HR of 0.7 (95% CI: 0.5 to 0.9) per each extra session, (b) self-perception of milk production, with an HR of 0.4 (95% CI: 0.3 to 0.6) per each increase in the perceived quantity of milk production and (c) receiving early skin-to-skin contact with an HR of 0.1 (95% CI: <0.1 to 0.3) compared with those not receiving such contact, immediately after birth.ConclusionsPrenatal education on breastfeeding, self-perception of sufficient breast-milk production and early skin-to-skin contact appear to be strong protectors of exclusive breastfeeding among urban Ecuadorian mother–baby dyads.

Changes in Breastfeeding Exclusivity and Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Respondents were asked to indicate any prenatal education they received from the following options: in-person class, online class, books, online research, consultation with a non-IBCLC healthcare professional, information from a WIC peer counselor or WIC class, and prenatal breastfeeding visit with an IBCLC (Dueñas-Espín et al, 2021). They were also asked to indicate any breastfeeding issues they experienced—for example, difficulty latching, trouble feeding due to the infant’s sleepiness, nipple pain and/or damage, low milk supply, oversupply, mastitis, plugged milk ducts, inadequate infant weight gain, or jaundice (Gianni et al, 2019).…”

Prevalence and predictors of mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact at birth in Papua New Guinea

“…This finding could be explained by the fact that mothers who have at some level of education could have been more informed and have adequate knowledge of the importance of the mother and newborn SSC in the health outcome of their newborns. This finding also proves the substantial positive role of mother’s education plays on infant health, well-being and development 11 29 31–33…”

Early initiation of breast feeding and associated factors among mother-baby dyads with immediate skin-to-skin contact: cross-sectional study based on the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data

“… 15 The finding of prospective survival analysis indicated that early skin-to-skin contact facilitates the continuation of exclusive breast feeding. 16 Globally, only two out of five newborns began breast feeding within the first hour of birth, as reported by UNICEF and WHO. The report was from a Demographic Health Survey (DHS) of 76 countries, where an estimated 78 million newborns were not breast fed within 1 hour after birth.…”