Breastfeeding Practices (Initiation, Exclusivity, Duration) During the First Six Months of an Infant’s Life among Caesarean Mothers in Selangor

Abstract

Introduction: During the first six months of an infant’s life, breastfeeding practices are essential for an infant’s growth as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Breastfeeding also helps to strengthen the bond between mother and child. In accordance with this, infants can obtain optimal nutrition through initiation, exclusivity, and optimal duration of breastfeeding practices. However, it is shown that a mother who undergoes caesarean delivery has higher chances to experience difficulties in breastfeeding than vaginal delivery mothers. Therefore, this study is aimed to determine the prevalence of breastfeeding practices among caesarean mothers during the first six months after delivery. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in chosen government Health Clinics in Selangor from July to December 2021. A total of 424 mothers were recruited, and data on socio-demographic and breastfeeding practices were obtained. Results: In the first six months after birth, 50.9% of caesarean mothers exclusively breastfed their infants, and the prevalence of breastfeeding practices was 37%. Approximately 55.9% of mothers initiated breastfeeding between one and 24 hours, while 31.1% and 13.0% initiated breastfeeding within one hour and after 24 hours, respectively. Breastfeeding initiation is found to have a significant effect on the duration of breastfeeding (χ2(4)=9.751,p-value=.045) while, breastfeeding exclusivity is found significantly dependent on the time of breastfeeding initiation and duration, (χ2(4)=11.88, p-value<.05). Conclusion: From these findings, breastfeeding exclusivity is influenced by early initiation and predicts a longer duration of breastfeeding. Therefore, breastfeeding support during early postpartum from family members and healthcare providers are important in predicting positive breastfeeding outcomes.