Vol. 8, Issue 6 (2019)

Author(s):
Humrah Farooqui and Dr. Rekha Battalwar

Abstract:
WHO and UNICEF have recommended to initiate breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth and to exclusively breastfeed the child for complete 6 months of life to ensure optimum nutrition of the child. The aim of the study is to identify the breastfeeding practices and their associated factors among normal delivery mothers and mothers who have undergone caesarean delivery. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 postnatal mothers. Information on breastfeeding, complementary feeding practices and nutrition were collected through a structured questionnaire. 64% of the total participants had initiated breastfeeding within 24 hours. 33% of the mothers who delivered via C-section initiated breastfeeding at 24 hours when compared to the mothers who had undergone normal delivery, 67%, (p=0.026). 9.4% of the mothers who delivered a preterm baby (p=0.003) and 15.6% whose babies were admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (p=0.000) initiated breastfeeding within 24 hours, which was significantly lower than their counterparts. 36% of the mothers faced the most common difficulty during breastfeeding and that was no rooming of the mother and child after delivery. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months was only 35% and it has significantly decreased with increasing lactation difficulties at the time of birth (p=0.000), complication during delivery (p=0.023) and NICU admission of the baby (p=0000). 66% of the mothers were breastfeeding their child at the time of interview. 71% of the mothers had consumed calories more than 50% of the RDA and 43% had consumed protein less than 50% of the RDA. Women who give birth by C-section should be provided with better practical support by the hospital staff and better rooming-in facility. Dietary modification and counselling to the mothers during lactation is required for achieving the optimum health of the mother.