Breastfeeding practices among lactating mothers: Problems and prospects in a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Context : Breastfeeding practices play an important role in reducing child mortality and morbidity. This study was aimed to describe the breastfeeding practices prevalent in Mysore city. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to describe and explain the factors influencing breastfeeding practices in Mysore city, and the secondary objective was to compare the breastfeeding practices of lactating mothers attending well baby clinic (A clinic run by pediatric specialist in good hospitals) with their selected personal variables. Settings and Design: The study was conducted at selected hospitals of Mysore city from January 2009 to June 2009 for the period of six months. Materials and Methods: Lactating mothers having at least a single infant attending well baby clinic at selected hospitals were included in the study and data was collected using the pre-tested questionnaire on breastfeeding practices. Results: Our study shows 74.29% of the mothers initiated breastfeeding, more than 50% used pre-lacteal feeds, 36% had discarded the colostrum and the majority of mothers had followed hygienic practices while feeding their child. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the need for breastfeeding intervention programs especially for the mother during antenatal and postnatal check-ups and practices like discarding the colostrum and early/late weaning are still widely prevalent and need to be addressed.