Influence of grandmothers on exclusive breastfeeding: cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the influence of grandmothers of infants on exclusive breastfeeding, from their perspective.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with 91 women from a hospital in the inland state of São Paulo. By means of a questionnaire, the following data were collected: sociodemographic data of the grandmother, mother and child; duration of exclusive breastfeeding of daughter or daughter-in-law; information on kinship of participant and grandchild; kind of help provided by grandmother; and knowledge about breastfeeding.Results The prevalence of infants on exclusive breastfeeding at two months was 35.17%; a total of 67.3% of grandmothers considered it important to give food to babies before six months of life, and 54% considered relevant breastfeeding at regular intervals. Moreover, 40% believed in weak milk and were not aware of signs of sufficient breast milk. Of the grandmothers interviewed, 69% had already offered tea and water to their grandchildren. In the univariate analysis, the maternal grandmother was more involved and close to the pair mother and child.Conclusion The presence of grandmothers influences in exclusive breastfeeding.

Exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among first-time mothers in Bahir Dar city, North West Ethiopia: A community based cross sectional study

“…Usually, maternal grandmothers are responsible to transfer these skills to the new mothers [ 16 ]. Evidences from a systematic review from 85 cultural contexts in 48 countries showed that grandmothers play an important role in decision making related to maternal, and child health, including pregnancy, and delivery, newborn care and breastfeeding practice [ 14 , 21 , 45 ].…”

Perceptions of grandmothers and HIV-infected mothers on infant feeding practices in a rural South African district

“…Numerous studies highlighted mixed feeding challenges, resulting in poor adherence to exclusive breastfeeding recommendations for both HIV-exposed but uninfected and HIV-unexposed children (Kinuthia et al 2010 ; Ladzani et al 2011 ; Morgan et al 2010 ; Rossouw et al 2016 ). Studies have shown that the act of mixed feeding generally occurs by providing breast milk together with water, tea and complementary food items (Swigart et al 2017 ), breast milk with pure water (Ramara, Maputle & Lekhuleni 2010 ) and tea and water in addition to breast milk (Ferreira et al 2018 ). Mixed feeding often starts as early as 1 month of age (Chaponda, Goon & Hoque 2017 ; Sibeko et al 2009 ).…”

Unsuccessful Exclusive Breastfeeding and Associated Factors among the Healthcare Providers in East Coast, Malaysia

“…However, a few studies have reported that family members play an important role in influencing whether the mothers continue to breastfeed their infants. Extended families, namely grandmothers, are an important source of support for new mothers [ 31 , 32 ]. Amin et al [ 21 ] reported that almost all husbands were very supportive of breastfeeding.…”