Abstract
Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), defined as putting newborns to the breast within 1 h of birth, may have important benefits for both infant and mother. The aim of this study was to assess EIBF practices and its determinants in northwestern Romania. This cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2019, based on a sample of 1399 mothers of children aged less than 24 months. The sample was recruited from the community, from 29 cities and 41 communes distributed across the six counties of the northwestern region of Romania. Mothers responded by face-to-face interviews to a structured questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with EIBF. Only 24.3% of the mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 h of birth. Delivering at a private hospital (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.87, 6.91), vaginal delivery (AOR: 4.39, 95% CI 3.29, 5.88), mother–newborn skin-to-skin contact for 1 h or more (AOR: 55.6, 95% CI 23.0, 134.2), and breastfeeding counseling during antenatal visits (AOR: 1.48, 95% CI 1.12, 1.97) were factors associated with increased likelihood of EIBF. Overall, the practice of EIBF was poor. Targeting modifiable factors associated with EIBF may be used to improve early initiation practice.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s EmergencyFund (UNICEF) recommend the early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), defined as putting newborns to the breast within 1 h of birth [1]
The aim of this study was to assess Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) practice and its determinants among mothers of children aged less than 24 months in northwestern Romania
The result is higher than the average of 8.3% reported by a national infant feeding survey conducted in Romania in 2011, which calculated EIBF as the proportion of children born in the last 12 months who were put to the breast within 30 min of birth [9]
Summary
Fund (UNICEF) recommend the early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), defined as putting newborns to the breast within 1 h of birth [1]. EIBF encourages the attachment between the mother and her child, stimulates milk production, and exhibits positive effects on the establishment and duration of breastfeeding [2]. The first milk after birth is rich in antibodies and other bioactive components that are essential for the immunity, growth, and development of the newborn [3]. There is strong evidence that EIBF is associated with a lower risk of neonatal mortality [4]. Despite the recognized importance of EIBF, only about 50% of the neonates worldwide are breastfed during the first hour of life [5]. As concerns Romania, there are no recent data regarding the practice of Nutrients 2019, 11, 2988; doi:10.3390/nu11122988 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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