Breastfeeding practices in early infancy in Benin city, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Adequate early infant nutrition is essential for subsequent optimum growth and development of the child. Exclusive breastfeeding is the cornerstone of the best possible nutrition in early infancy.Objective: To assess current breastfeeding practices in early infancy in Benin City and further progress ( if any) that may have been made in the realisation of optimal early infant feeding practices in the locale in the preceding decade.Methods: A community-based household survey was carried out in three representative wards in Egor Local Government Area of Benin City, from June to September, 2009. Infant feeding practices were evaluated using pre-tested questionnaires on 1068 mothers of infants aged less than 12 months.Result: Five hundred and forty-six (51.1%) infants were aged less than 6 months. The Ever Breastfed Rate was 100.0% while the Timely Suckling Rate was 35.5%. The Exclusive and Predominant Breastfeeding Rates were respectively 40.7% and 30.4% while the Bottle-feeding Rate was 32.2%. Most (98.4%) mothers had correct information about exclusive breastfeeding obtained mainly from antenatal clinics and immunization centres. Factors significantly associated with EBF were high maternal education (χ2 = 9.718; p = 0.045), high socioeconomic status (χ2 = 12.910; p = 0.012), increasing maternal age (χ2 = 14.777; p = 0.022), higher parity (χ2 = 15.212; p = 0.009), delivery in hospital (χ2 = 15.079; p = 0.020) and infant’s age (χ2 = 100.482; P = 0.0001).Conclusions/Recommendations: Breastfeeding practices in Benin City have not improved much from what obtained a decade earlier. Greater emphasis on female education and socio-economic empowerment are advocated as tools for improvement. Reinvigoration of the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative is also recommended to ensure continued health facility interface that would ensure community mobilisation and support for optimal breastfeeding.Key Words: Breastfeeding, Practices, Early Infancy, Benin City

Attitude and predictors of exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers attending under-five welfare clinics in a rural community in Southwestern Nigeria

“…Less than half (40.6%) of mothers in this study practiced EBF. This is similar to a study done in Edo state, South-south, Nigeria with a prevalence of 40.7% [12]. However, it is higher than the findings in previous studies done in Italy (33.3%), Bangladesh (34.5%), Southern Ethiopia (14.9%), Jigawa (26.8%) and Sokoto (31.0%) states, Northern, Nigeria (31.0%) [6,7,10,26,27] and lower than the prevalence recorded from studies conducted in Debre Berhan District, Ethiopia (68.6%), urban centers of Abuja (54.4%), Ikorodu, Lagos (69.4%) and in Ogun State, Southwest, Nigeria (58.8%) [11,13,20,28].…”

“…Another study conducted in one of the urban centers in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria showed that 54.4% had practiced EBF despite a significant positive attitude determined by the study (70% agreed that EBF was adequate for their children) [ 11 ]. A similar study in another urban center in Benin, Edo state, South-south Nigeria, showed an “ever-breastfed rate” of 100.0%, but only 40.7% practiced EBF [ 12 ]. A survey carried out in two tertiary hospitals in Ogun state, Southwest Nigeria, revealed that more than half (58.8%) of the women practiced EBF [ 13 ].…”

“…Many previous studies on EBF have centered on urban and semi-urban communities, while there is still a paucity of data from rural areas [10][11][12][13]. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there has not been a study of this nature assessing the attitude and practice of mothers on EBF in our environment.…”

Lived Experiences of Mothers With/Without Post Dural Puncture Headache and its Effects on Early Initiation of Breastfeeding at Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Nigeria

“…Other studies in Nigeria reported prevalence ranging from 28% -45% (4). Some of the reasons for late initiation of breastfeeding as revealed in the study include C-Section, delayed milk flow, maternal or infant illness and stress of labor necessitating a rest postpartum as corresponded to (5). Only 32% of the babies delivered by C-Section had been put to breast within the first hour of life.…”

“…Other studies in Nigeria reported prevalence ranging from 28% -45% (4). Some of the reasons for late initiation of breastfeeding include C-Section, delayed milk flow, maternal or infant illness and stress of labor necessitating a rest post-partum (5).…”