Maternal Perceptions and Views About Breastfeeding Practices Among Emirati Mothers

Abstract

Background: Understanding women's breastfeeding perceptions and experiences is increasingly recognized as a vital tool to provide effective support that would encourage the extension of the breastfeeding period. Objective: To identify and explore the perceptions and views that influence the feeding and weaning decisions of Emirati mother. Methods: A qualitative study using indepth interviews was undertaken with a convenience sample of 45 Emirati mothers who had infants aged between 6 months and 2 years. Participants were interviewed in the health centers in 3 cities in United Arab Emirates. Data were recorded through field notes and analyzed thematically using grounded theory analysis. Results: The following themes emerged: influences of others on the decisions to breastfeed, sources of information, infants' behavior and participants' views and decisions about when to introduce supplementary feeding, knowledge of and attitudes toward current World Health Organization recommendations, and mothers' perception of the benefits of breastfeeding. Grandmothers in this study played an important role in the breastfeeding practices of Emirati mothers. They supported breastfeeding, however, some encouraged giving the infants prelacteal feeds for a variety of reasons: colic, hunger, promoting growth, and hydration. Fathers, according to the mothers, either supported or ignored breastfeeding practices. Conclusion: Health promotions and health care facilities failed to deliver the message of exclusive breastfeeding. Mothers in our study were resorting to the expertise of the grandmothers and receiving information and advice about child feeding from them. The findings highlight the need for successful intervention programs to be implemented for mothers and grandmothers through health care providers.

Knowledge and attitudes of Lebanese women towards Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative practices

“…It is interesting to note that many mothers referred to their families as a source of breastfeeding information, similar to what has been reported from other countries in the region [27,28]. Cues that a mother receives from her family and friends become her main source of information when back home after delivery.…”

“…Cues that a mother receives from her family and friends become her main source of information when back home after delivery. Thus familial support is essential for mothers as the social norms dictated by the woman's family may influence her breastfeeding habits [14,27,28]. Since the majority of participants would like to communicate with a lactation consultant soon after giving birth, having lactation consultants in hospitals for breastfeeding support is crucial to the establishment and continuation of breastfeeding.…”

Prevalence and factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding in Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania: a cross-sectional study

“…Timely initiation of breastfeeding is the provision of a mother's breast milk to infants within 1 h of birth [1]. The practice of early initiation helps the child get colostrum, which contains antibodies that help protect the infant from common childhood illnesses.…”

An assessment of the breastfeeding practices in Momo division, North West region of Cameroon

“…This is likely because health professionals are considered to be the most knowledgeable with respect to infant care practices. On the Contrary, in Emirati and Asella Town, southeast Ethiopia, the respondents recognized their own mothers, the child's father, a close relative, friend, or neighbor as the source of information with the greatest impact on maternal BF decision (Radwan & Sapsford, 2016;Sasie et al, 2017). Mothers in the Okola Health District, Cameroon, also acknowledged family members, friends, and neighbors as the source of information with the greatest impact on their BF decision (Ngameni et al, 2011).…”

“…From investigations on low-income black Americans, it was found that while one-to-one educational programs were most effective in increasing initiation for women who intended to bottle feed, group programs had more impact on initiation for women who planned to breastfeed (Health Development Agency, 2003). On the contrary, it was realized that in the United States and Emirati, the family has the greatest impact on the mother's BF decision (Odom, Li, F I G U R E 4 Frequency of BF Scanlon, Perrine, & Grummer-Strawn, 2014; Radwan & Sapsford, 2016). Also, De Oliveira, Camacho, and Tedstone (2001) indicated that the effectiveness of interventions to increase duration of any BF on maternal decision did not depend on whether they were given by health professionals or by peer counselors.…”