Early initiation of breastfeeding and factors associated with its delay among mothers at discharge from a single hospital

Abstract

Background: According to the National Family Health Survey -4, in India, 78.9% of deliveries occur in institutions, although only 42.6% of new mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of delivery. Purpose:To estimate the proportion of early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) among new mothers at discharge from a tertiary care hospital and identify the determinants of delayed initiation of breastfeeding among them. Methods: This was a hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study of 108 new mothers.After obtaining institutional review board approval and informed consent, we interviewed the new mothers on the day of discharge. Multivariate logistic regression was performed using SPSS version24. Results:The median breastfeeding initiation time was 90 min (interquartile range, 30-180 min). Overall, 43.5% of the mothers practiced EIBF, 77.4% practiced exclusive breastfeeding, and 43.5% were rooming in at discharge. Reasons for breastfeeding delays included extended recovery time from spinal anesthesia, maternal lassitude, and uncomfortable breastfeeding position due to post-cesarean pain. In the multivariate analysis, a birth weight less than 2500 g (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.33; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.12-16.82; p=0.03), cesarean section delivery (aOR, 4.68; 95% CI, 1.57-13.92; p=0.005), and mother's poor knowledge of breastfeeding (aOR, 4.61; 95% CI, 1.44-14.72; p=0.010) were more likely to delay the initiation of breastfeeding. Conclusion: EIBF was practiced by less than half of the new mothers as determined by the cesarean section, baby's birth weight, and mothers' awareness of breastfeeding. Thus, it is vital to improve breastfeeding and nutritional counseling among mothers during the antenatal period and improve healthcare professionals' training to facilitate EIBF, even in circumstances such as cesarean section.

Health facility delivery and early initiation of breastfeeding: Cross‐sectional survey of 11 sub‐Saharan African countries

“…Despite a wealth of data on various aspects of EIB, 15 , 17 , 20 recent evidence on the relationship between health facility delivery and EIB appears to be limited in the context of SSA. As a result, the current study examined the relationship between health facility delivery and EIB in eleven SSA countries using the most recent DHS datasets spanning 2018–2021, to uncover the sub‐region's evidence on the subject.…”

“… 18 , 19 This is understandable given the importance of trained healthcare providers in various health facilities in ensuring the health of mothers and newborns. 20 In contrast, some evidence suggest that a significant proportion of children born in health facilities do not receive EIB. 21 , 22 Overall, these series of evidences emphasize that EIB advocacy may be ineffective if separated from healthcare delivery.…”

“…Other parts of the world have reported higher rates of EIB among children born in health facilities 18,19 . This is understandable given the importance of trained healthcare providers in various health facilities in ensuring the health of mothers and newborns 20 . In contrast, some evidence suggest that a significant proportion of children born in health facilities do not receive EIB 21,22 .…”

Improving Early Initiation of Breastfeeding in Newborns Delivered at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Quality Improvement Study

“…Various barriers for early initiation have been mentioned in different studies such as maternal lassitude and uncomfortable breastfeeding position due to post-delivery pain, 15 late transfer of mother from delivery room to the observation area, and high delivery load. 16 At our institute, we noticed only 61% of stable babies delivered vaginally received breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth.…”

Socio- cultural Factors and Barriers to Early Initiation of Breastfeeding: A Qualitative Study

“…As in the current review, Chopel et al concluded that the awareness of benefits was enough to inspire adolescents to initiate breastfeeding. The mother's poor knowledge about breastfeeding was the factor and barrier to the delay of early initiation of breastfeeding baby (Mary et al, 2022). Two more studies reveal that the mother's lack of knowledge about breastfeeding was the factor in to delay of early initiation of breastfeeding (Petruţ et al, 2019, Ahmed et al, 2019.…”