Breastfeeding support through wet nursing during nutritional emergency: A cross sectional study from Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background/ObjectivesThis study examined the best practices with regard to infant and young child feeding in emergency (IYCF-E) program. This was done by observing a breastfeeding support scenario through wet nursing in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.MethodsInformation on demographics, IYCF-E knowledge, wet nursing support, type of constraints faced, and possible ways to overcome such constraints was collected through face-to-face interviews with 24 conveniently selected wet nurses. Linear regression was used to analyze the associations.ResultsMean age of wet nurses was 21.6 years; 16.67% had adequate knowledge about IYCF-E; and 29.17% had prior knowledge about wet nursing. Mean age of supported infants was 1.29 months, and 58.33% had a familial relationship with the wet nurses. Duration of breastfeeding support was significantly associated with the wet nurse’s age, age of the wet nurses’ youngest children, familial relationship with infants, knowledge about IYCF-E, and follow-ups from community nutrition workers (Ps <0.05). The status of facing problems (58.33%) was negatively correlated with duration of wet nursing, although this association was not statistically significant. The most extensively reported problems were as follows: misunderstandings with the infant’s family (85.71%), family workload and time limitations (21.43%), household distance (42.86%), and family members’ poor compliance (21.43%). Counseling from community nutrition workers (64.29%) and mediation by community leaders (57.14%) played key roles in mitigating such problems. Self-satisfaction (37.50%), counseling (62.50%), and religious inspiration (58.33%) were key motivators behind dedicated breastfeeding support.ConclusionWet nursing in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, was associated with several factors involving both supply and demand. The present findings may help design better IYCF-E programs in similar context.

Breastfeeding Protection, Promotion, and Support in Humanitarian Emergencies: A Systematic Review of Literature

“…In two studies (20%) conducted by UNICEF in Pakistan and the State of Palestine, we deduced that the authors were exclusively agency staff. In the other four studies (40%), the authors included also academics (Azad et al, 2019; Castillo et al, 2016; Sami et al, 2017; UNICEF, 2016b).…”

“…Moreover, in these studies, the researchers did not report in detail how their outcomes were measured. The studies conducted by Azad et al (2019), Castillo et al (2016), and Sami et al (2017) had greater methodological rigor, even though they did not use a control group or randomized sampling.…”

“…The authors of five (50%) of the studies included reported specific breastfeeding support interventions (Ayoya et al, 2013; Azad et al, 2019; Castillo et al, 2016; Sami et al, 2017; UNICEF, 2016a). All the other studies included a bundle of breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support interventions.…”

“…With regard to natural disasters, researchers need to explore interventions and outcomes in high-income and low-income countries. For example, wet nursing is an issue that needs to be explored across various steps: from the communication process at an individual and community level, the effectiveness of practice support (Azad et al, 2019) and ending with infection prevention concerns for infants. This means developing appropriate monitoring systems that assess process and outcome goals.…”

A quantitative study on Muslim milk mother’s understanding of the Islamic concept of wet nursing

“…Generally, countless research studies on milk children have been previously conducted by many researchers in Malaysia and international including Coutsoudis [ 33 ], Dusa et al [ 7 ], Yusuf [ 34 ], Dennis [ 3 ], Ahluwalia et al [ 35 ], Radzniwan et al [ 36 ], Daud et al [ 37 ], Ismail et al [ 38 ], Mathur and Dhingra [ 39 ], Daud and Kusrin [ 40 ], Daud et al [ 41 ], Azad et al [ 42 ], and many others. Previous research mostly studied mothers’ understanding of the concept of wet nursing [ 39 , 41 ], their understanding of breastfeeding exclusively [ 7 ], the attitude of milk mothers and their practice [ 41 ], the duration of their practice [ 3 ], the milk mothers’ rights and duties in feeding [ 40 ], the challenges experienced by career mothers [ 38 ] and the factors for the discontinuation of breast feeding by some mothers [ 35 ].…”