Perceptions Of Midwives Research Articles

Midwives' experiences regarding recordkeeping during intrapartum care in Limpopo Province healthcare facilities.

South Africa has experienced an increase in litigations because of poor recordkeeping. The quality of maternal healthcare necessitates quality recordkeeping. All midwives' interventions should be documented in the maternity case record as an instrument to highlight the quality of intrapartum care offered. The purpose of the study was to determine and describe the experiences of midwives regarding recordkeeping during intrapartum care in Limpopo province and to make recommendations to improve recordkeeping. A qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Midwives were selected purposively to participate in focus group discussions. Data were thematically analysed with the help of the independent transcriptionist and coder. The findings revealed the themes: perceptions of midwives regarding recordkeeping and the challenges and enablers that influence recordkeeping during intrapartum care. Quality recordkeeping requires timely, detailed, comprehensive and accurate recording. The study recommended the availability of updated guidelines, in-service training, monitoring and evaluation of recordkeeping, peer review, record auditing, proper time management among midwives and appointment of staff in line with the staffing needs of the unit to enhance recordkeeping.Contribution:Quality recordkeeping has a positive impact on the provision of quality healthcare to mothers during intrapartum care and reduces litigations related to maternity cases.

Midwives and doulas in Poland: mutual perceptions in the context of interprofessional cooperation

A doula is an independent professional who provides emotional, physical and informational support to women during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period. A doula is not medically qualified, but is trained in techniques to provide comfort, relaxation and proper breathing to women in labor during birth. The relationship between doulas and other members of the perinatal care team has an impact on women’s satisfaction and the quality of care provided. The purpose of our study was to analyze the mutual perceptions of the two professional groups and to subjectively assess the actual cooperation between midwives and doulas; Methods: The survey instrument for examining mutual perceptions of midwives and doulas in the context of interprofessional collaboration was a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 13 items containing beliefs about collaboration between doulas and midwives and items describing experiences of collaboration between the groups. A total of 238 women participated in the survey: 165 midwives and 73 doulas. Results: Mutual perceptions of midwives and doulas can be described as positive or neutral. Examination of the experience of collaboration indicates a predominance of positive behavior. In almost all items, the beliefs of doulas and midwives differed significantly from each other showing the different perspectives of the two professional groups. The highest score in both groups was given to the statement Appropriate relationships between midwives and doulas have an impact on the satisfaction of parturients, which means that both doulas and midwives agree with it. Conclusions: There is potential for the dissemination of the doula profession in the Polish health care system. Both professions show more positive or neutral perceptions of each other than negative perceptions, which provides an opportunity to build a satisfying collaboration. The findings underscore the need to reconcile different attitudes in order to foster effective team practice and improve midwifery care outcomes. Training and meetings to learn about roles, competencies and explore each other’s work models provide an opportunity to strengthen this collaboration.

Community-based health programme for nurses and midwives: A mixed methods evaluation.

To evaluate a community-based psychological health and well-being programme for nurses and midwives. Mixed methods programme evaluation. Four studies were included: observational descriptive study (cross-sectional survey) of the health, well-being and experiences of previous programme participants (Study 1); observational exploratory prospective cohort study (longitudinal survey) of health, well-being and experiences of participants who engaged in the programme from 2020 to 2023 (Study 2); qualitative descriptive study (interviews) of experiences and perceptions of nurses and midwives who have engaged with the programme as participants or clinicians (Study 3); observational descriptive study (cross-sectional survey) of experiences and perceptions of programme stakeholders (Study 4). Surveys included validated measures. Data were collected online. Descriptive, repeated measures and thematic analyses were conducted. One-hundred and fifteen participants completed Study 1: 20% (n = 23) reported stress in the severe-to-extremely severe category; 22% (n = 25) reported psychological distress in the moderate-to-severe category. Thirty-one programme participants were followed in Study 2: the effect of the programme on participant well-being over time was not significant. Sixteen programme participants and eight programme clinicians were interviewed (Study 3). Experiences of nurses and midwives engaging with the programme were highly positive and strong attributes of the programme included (1) shared professional experience of clinicians and participants which supported a common language and facilitated understanding, and (2) effective programme leadership, and autonomy and flexibility in the clinicians' role which enabled and supported a positive working experience. Thirty-nine broader stakeholders participated in a cross-sectional survey (Study 4). All stakeholders reported high satisfaction with the programme. Participants considered the programme being 'by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives' critical to the programme's success and value. The community-based psychological health and well-being programme developed, led and delivered by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives, was a highly valued resource. Levels of stress and burnout in the health workforce are high. A community-based psychological health and well-being programme for nurses and midwives was found to be an important and highly valued resource for nurses and midwives. A programme delivered by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives, was considered critical to programme success. Programme leadership, and autonomy and flexibility in the programme clinicians' roles, facilitated and supported a positive working experience for programme clinicians. Quality and safety in patient care is directly impacted by the well-being of nurse and midwives. A community-based psychological health and well-being programme for nurses and midwives was found to be an important and highly valued resource for nurses and midwives. Survey findings were reported according to STROBE (von Elm etal. in Lancet, 370:1453-1457, 2007) and qualitative findings according to COREQ (Tong etal. in International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(6):349-357, 2007). No patient or public contribution.

Nurses, midwives and students' reports of effective dedicated education units in five European countries: A qualitative study.

To investigate nursing/midwifery students, Clinical Mentors, Link Teachers and Head Nurses experiences within "Dedicated Education Unit" model in 6 European clinical placements and analyse the necessary elements for a powerful clinical learning environment. A multi-country, phenomenological, qualitative study. Focus group interviews were performed to identify the personal and organizational factors of importance for students and nurses/midwives. Data analysis produced 4 main themes (1) Clinical placement organization, (2) students' clinical knowledge and skill acquisition, (3) students, and nurses/midwives' experiences within the DEU model and (4) factors for creating an effective learning environment. A close educational-service collaboration, a realistic clinical placement planning, a focus on student learning process and an investment in professionals' education and development among others, are elements to set up a powerful clinical learning environment. It is considered advisable and urgent to improve the working conditions of nurses/midwives and the learning environments of students as a strategy to alleviate the global shortage of nurses and respond to the increasingly demanding health needs of the population. Due to the close relationship between students' learning and features of the clinical environment nurse educators seek innovative models which allow students to manage patient care and their transition to professional practice. To implement new learning strategies, identifying students, nurses and midwives perceptions and suggestions is a powerful information to evaluate implementation process and outcomes. Our findings could help academic and clinical managers to meet the human and organizational requirements to create a successful learning environment in every student placement.

Factors influencing respectful perinatal care among healthcare professionals in low-and middle-resource countries: a systematic review

BackgroundThis review aimed to provide healthcare professionals with a scientific summary of best available research evidence on factors influencing respectful perinatal care. The review question was ‘What were the perceptions of midwives and doctors on factors that influence respectful perinatal care?’MethodsA detailed search was done on electronic databases: EBSCOhost: Medline, OAlster, Scopus, SciELO, Science Direct, PubMed, Psych INFO, and SocINDEX. The databases were searched for available literature using a predetermined search strategy. Reference lists of included studies were analysed to identify studies missing from databases. The phenomenon of interest was factors influencing maternity care practices according to midwives and doctors. Pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used during selection of potential studies. In total, 13 studies were included in the data analysis and synthesis. Three themes were identified and a total of nine sub-themes.ResultsStudies conducted in various settings were included in the study. Various factors influencing respectful perinatal care were identified. During data synthesis three themes emerged namely healthcare institution, healthcare professional and women-related factors. Alongside the themes were sub-themes human resources, medical supplies, norms and practices, physical infrastructure, healthcare professional competencies and attributes, women’s knowledge, and preferences. The three factors influence the provision of respectful perinatal care; addressing them might improve the provision of this care.ConclusionAddressing factors that influence respectful perinatal care is vital towards the prevention of compromised patient care during the perinatal period as these factors have the potential to accelerate or hinder provision of respectful care.

Perceptions of quality of care in Midwife-led Birth Centres (MLBCs) in Uganda: Why do women choose MLBCs over other options?

BackgroundMidwife-led birth centres (MLBCs) are associated with reduced childbirth interventions, higher satisfaction rates, and improved birth outcomes. The evidence on quality of care in MLBCs from low and middle-income countries (LMIC) is limited. AimThis study aimed to explore the perceptions of women and midwives regarding the quality of care in four MLBCs in Uganda. MethodsA qualitative study was conducted in four MLBCs in Uganda. We conducted interviews with women and midwives in the MLBCs to explore their perceptions and experiences related to care in the MLBCs. The study obtained ethical approval. Deductive thematic analysis was used for data analysis. ResultsThree key themes were identified regarding the perceptions of women and midwives about the quality of care in the MLBCs: providing respectful, and dignified care; a focus on woman-centred care; and reasons for choosing care in the MLBC. Women valued the respectful and humane care characterised by dignified and non-discriminatory care, non-abandonment, privacy, and consented care. The woman-centred care in the MLBC involved individualised holistic care, providing autonomy and empowerment, continuity of care, promoting positive birth experience, confidence in the woman’s own abilities, and responsive providers. Women chose MLBCs because the services were perceived to be available, accessible, affordable, with comprehensive and effective referral mechanisms. ConclusionWomen perceived care to be respectful, woman-centred, and of good quality. Global attention should be directed to scaling up the establishment of MLBCs, especially in LMIC, to improve the positive childbirth experience and increase access to care.

Care and services partnership in Quebec birthing centres: myth or reality?

ContextWorking with women to best meet their needs has always been central to midwifery in Quebec, Canada. The creation of birthing centres at the end of the 1990s consolidated this desire to prioritize women’s involvement in perinatal care and was intended to encourage the establishment of a care and services partnership between care providers and users. The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the perceptions of clients, midwives and birth assistants of the way in which women are involved in partnership working in Quebec birthing centres.MethodsA single qualitative case and pilot study was conducted with midwives (n = 5), birth assistants (n = 4), a manager (n = 1), clients (n = 5) and members of the users’ committee (n = 2) at a birthing centre in Quebec, Canada in July and August 2023. The partnership was evaluated using the dimensions of a validated CADICEE questionnaire.ResultsThe women and professionals stressed that the relationship was established in a climate of trust. The caregivers also attached importance to autonomy, information sharing and decision-making, adaptation to context, empathy and recognition of the couple’s expertise. The women confirmed that they establish a relationship of trust with the professionals when the latter show empathy and that they adapt the follow-up to their knowledge and life context. Key factors in establishing this kind of care relationship are the time given, a de-medicalized environment, the comprehensive care received, and professionals who are well-informed about the partnership. In addition, the birthing centre has a users’ committee that can put forward ideas but has no decision-making powers.ConclusionsBoth the women and the professionals at the birthing centre appear to be working in partnership. However, at the organizational level, the women are not involved in decision-making. A study of all birthing centres in Quebec would provide a more comprehensive picture of the situation.

A survey on the perceptions of midwives, women, and support persons on the introduction of a support person information resource.

Midwives in an Australian birth unit undertook a project to develop a resource for women and their support person. The aim of this study was to explore how the women, support persons and midwives viewed the introduction of this resource designed to guide and support women in their choice of support person. A quantitative survey study was used to explore how three participant groups viewed the introduction of a support person information resource. A hospital designed survey was developed for women, support people and midwives. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 26 and Braun and Clarke's guide for thematic analysis. More than half (55%) of the midwives believed that the information resource presented influenced women's choice of support people during labor. Almost three-quarters (72%) of the women did not change their choice of number of support people that they wanted during their labor. The majority (83%) of women would recommend the support person brochure to other women. The majority (83%) of support people stayed the entire duration of labor. Four themes were generated from open-ended questions: value of the information sheet, knowing how to be a support person, connecting midwives with being woman-centered, and choosing the support person. The availability of an information resource was of benefit for women, support people and midwives, contributing to women feeling more informed in choosing their support person. Midwives felt they had evidence to support conversations with women, contributing to the feeling of being woman-centered. Support people had increased confidence.

Perceptions of Midwives About the Midwifery Profession: A Metaphor Study

Perceptions of Midwives About the Midwifery Profession: A Metaphor Study

The perceptions of Midwives regarding the use of telehealth. A systematic review of qualitative research

Introduction: Telehealth, originally designed to serve rural and remote areas, is now increasingly utilized in urban centers. Various medical specialties widely employ it. However, its use in midwifery remains limited. The purpose of this particular study is to elucidate the perspectives of midwives regarding the utilization of telehealth resources. Methodology: A systematic review of the electronic database PubMed was conducted to identify qualitative studies pertaining to midwives' perspectives on the use of telehealth. A critical assessment of the selected studies was performed. Results: Four studies met the inclusion criteria. Telehealth modalities can complement private encounters between midwives and women during pregnancy, in the latent phase of labor, and in the postpartum period. Barriers to the integration of these technologies include midwives' lack of familiarity with them, issues related to data security, workplace organization, and the way of implementation of these technologies. Discussion: Midwives acknowledge the potential offered by modern telehealth technologies. However, legal considerations and midwives' training to familiarize them with these technologies should be taken into account.

Midwives Perceptions on Perinatal Loss Care of Bereaved Mothers at KweKwe General Hospital, Zimbabwe

Painful, distressful and discomforting is the caring for women who have experienced perinatal loss and may be very challenging for bereaved women and the midwife as well. This requires a nurturing as well as a professional approach and facets that ate mainly experienced than taught and learnt. Commonly, the area remained unresearched through the delicate intonations it bears and the sacrosanct perceptions surrounding death and loss of life and sacredness the subject. An in-depth qualitative phenomenological study explored the midwives’ perceptions on perinatal loss care of the bereaved mothers. In-depth interviews were used to gather data from a sample of 10 participants who were selected among midwives at Kwekwe maternity unit using purposive sampling. The sample was determined by the data saturation point and the inclusion criteria was of those who had worked at the unit for at least 6 months. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data which gave rise to identification of themes. The findings revealed four emergent themes; knowledge and skills on bereavement care, psychological and emotional support, constraints to offering bereavement care and improving perinatal loss care. Midwives lacked requisite skills and knowledge to care for bereaved mothers, they void of care to bereaved mothers, inadequate psychological and emotional support from the family and midwives was of concern. Constraints were identified as shortage of staff, time, lack of continuity of care and inadequate infrastructure. Recommendations were training of midwives on management of mothers who would have experienced perinatal loss, counselling, improving infrastructure for confidentiality and proper management of the bereaved mothers and probable co-option of the conceptual framework developed in this study. Further research should focus on exploring the views of the mothers themselves since they are the custodians of the perinatal loss.

Midwives’ perspectives about using individualized care plans in the provision of immediate postpartum care in Uganda; an exploratory qualitative study

IntroductionIndividualized care planning has been slowly integrated into practice in Uganda with minimal documentation of how the concept is applied in providing care. This study explored the perceptions of midwives about the use of individualized care plans (ICPs) in the provision of immediate postpartum care.MethodsAn exploratory descriptive qualitative approach was used in this study. We interviewed fifty midwives from 37 health facilities in Uganda's greater Mpigi region. The midwives, who were certificate and diploma holders, were purposively enrolled in the selected facilities. Deductive content analysis was done based on the COM-B model.ResultsFour themes emerged from the data namely; compatibility, motivation, opportunities, and the midwives’ suggested strategies and targets for improved individualized care planning. The midwives were aware of individualized care planning and they utilized it in their provision of immediate postpartum care especially when assessing clients for risks, preparing clients for referral, caring for Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exposed babies and their mothers, and educating/ supporting first-time mothers (automatic motivation). Having a good nurse-patient relationship, privacy, and ample time to care for the clients were noted as motivators for individualized care plan use, while poor documentation of care, high patient load, and perceived patients’ lack of understanding of the complexities of illness in the immediate postpartum period were the barriers (social opportunity) identified by midwives to the use of individualized care planning.ConclusionThere are still capability, motivation, and opportunity hindrances to the use of individualized care planning. Staff recruitment, training, and harmonization of the documentation forms may improve the use of care plans in the postpartum period.

"Psychological Injuries Are Not Visible": Experiences and Perceptions of Midwives and Nurses about Domestic Violence during Pregnancy.

This study aimed to describe perceptions and experiences of nurses and midwives working in primary care about domestic violence (DV) in pregnancy. Data were collected by conducting in-depth face-to-face interviews with 10 midwives and 7 nurses working in seven family health centers between July 17 and August 28, 2020. Five main themes emerged: "The causes of domestic violence," "Difficulty recognizing domestic violence," "Obstacles to revealing domestic violence," "Obstacles to Assisting/Supporting domestic violence in pregnant women," and "Solutions to prevent domestic violence in pregnancy." Midwives/nurses feel inadequate and unprepared to recognize the symptoms of DV and to guide and support women and they are willing to take an active role in managing DV. It is recommended that they should be trained on DV, a monitoring system should be established including primary healthcare services and a measurement tool should be developed.

Midwives' perceptions of and attitudes towards prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services has become an integral part of antenatal services. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission was introduced in all the regions of Ghana, but mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) continued to increase. To explore and describe midwives' perceptions and attitudes towards PMTCT of HIV services. Quantitative research approach and descriptive cross-sectional design were used. The population includes all midwives between the ages of 21 and 60 years who work in antenatal care (ANC) clinics in 11 district hospitals in the Central Region of Ghana where the study was conducted. Forty-eight midwives were interviewed using a census sample process. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Correlation analysis was performed to find the relationships between the attitudes and the perceptions of the midwives on PMTCT of HIV services. Seventy percent of midwives had positive perceptions of PMTCT of HIV services and 85% had positive attitudes towards the provision of PMTCT of HIV services. Midwives were screening all pregnant women who visited the ANCs and referring those who tested positive to other institutions where they can be monitored. Some of the concerns considered were views on retesting HIV-infected pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. There was a positive correlation between attitudes and perceptions of midwives on PMTCT of HIV services. Midwives had positive perceptions and positive attitudes towards the PMTCT of HIV services that they were providing to antenatal attendees. Also, as the attitudes of the midwives towards PMTCT of HIV services improved, their perceptions of PMTCT services also improved.Contribution: Decentralisation of PMTCT of HIV services to community-based health facilities is appropriate to enable sub-district health facilities to test for HIV and provide counselling services to pregnant women.

Midwives' Perception Regarding Conditions Influencing the Implementation of the Natural Childbirth Promotion Program in Iran: A Qualitative Study.

In Iran, the Natural Childbirth Promotion Program (NCPP) has been implemented as a component of the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) since 2014 and as an attempt to encourage natural childbirth practices and reduce cesarean section rates. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of midwives about conditions influencing the implementation of NCPP. In this qualitative study, data were collected through 21 in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with expert midwives who were selected using purposive sampling mainly from one medical university in Eastern Iran from October 2019 to February 2020. Based on the framework method as a thematic analysis approach, the data were analyzed manually. To enhance the rigor of the study, we followed Lincoln and Guba's criteria. Data analysis yielded 546 open codes. After the codes were reviewed and similar codes were removed, there remained 195 codes. Further analysis led to extraction of 81 sub-sub themes, 19 sub-themes, and eight main themes. These themes included: Responsive staff; Characteristics of the parturient; Recognition of midwifery role; Teamwork; The birthing environment; Effective management; Institutional and social context; and Social education. Based on the perceptions of the studied midwives, the success of the NCPP is guaranteed by a set of conditions identified in this study. In practice, these conditions are complementary and interrelated, and they cover a wide range of staff and parturient characteristics to the social context. It seems that effective implementation of the NCPP also calls for the accountability of all stakeholders, from policymakers to maternity care providers.

Nurses' and midwives' perceptions and strategies to cope with perinatal death situations: A systematic literature review.

The aim of this paper is to describe the strategies used by nurses and midwives to cope with experiences of dealing with perinatal death and maintain their satisfaction at work. Systematic literature review, in accordance with the PRISMA Declaration. (2000-2021) Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, CINALH and Dialnet, for articles in English and Spanish from the period between January 2000 and March 2021. The outcome of the review was the perceptions of nurses and midwives who have cared for people in a situation of perinatal loss. Thirteen studies were identified that evaluated the attitudes, experiences and needs of these healthcare professionals. The combined size of all samples was 2196 participants. The negative effects on these professionals' satisfaction with their situation at work could be mitigated by covering their needs for knowledge, experience, and emotional and technical skills to deal with such events. As potential protective factors against dissatisfaction in nurses and midwives during perinatal death experiences, we identified older age and experience in perinatal care and coping strategies based on communicating one's feelings to peers, empathetic listening to the families cared for, training and institutional support. No Patient or Public Contribution.

Midwives' attitudes toward safety: A qualitative study

In order to understand the cognitive and subjective perceptions of midwives' attitudes towards patient safety within the current nurse practice environment, in addition to providing new insights and guiding methods for patient safety. In this study, 10 midwives were selected using a purposive sampling method, who working in the obstetrics department of a Grade III A hospital, located in Baoding, from January to May 2018. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, face-to-face nonverbal behavior observation, and analyzed using the Colaizzi 7-step analysis method. There were three themes: (1) Patient safety issues are important and when they occur make midwives feel very frustrated or even lose confidence in their work; (2) there are numerous safety hazards in obstetrics and delivery room work; and (3) when safety problems occur, senior medical or nursing staff or leaders are most desired to be present. Hospitals should pay attention to midwives' safety attitudes, establish a safety support system, do a good job of psychological counseling after safety problems occur, systematically assess existing safety problems in departments, eliminate safety hazards in a timely manner, formulate detailed emergency plans and improve coping mechanisms.

The transgenerational impact of child abuse. Health professionals' social and values

Introduction: Child abuse is a worrying trend not only in our country but globally. The aim of the article is to present the adverse long-term consequences of child abuse, Adverse Childhood Experiences, which is a classified public health problem according to WHO. The attitude of primary care workers towards the prevention of abuse has a profound impact on the quality of prevention activities. Objective: To assess the knowledge and perceptions of paediatricians, midwives and paediatric nurses working in primary and specialised care about the topic child abuse. Contextualising value judgements and societal perceptions of child abuse in order to break the transgenerational effects. Method: A self-completed online survey was conducted with 49 structured, standardised questions, the data provided insights about the socio-economic status of respondents, their attitudes to the issue of child abuse, their perceptions of the seriousness of the issue and their obligation to report it under the law. Results: Based on our analysis on a sample of 195 respondents, we can conclude that health care workers perceive abuse as clearly harmful, yet it is perceived as a common phenomenon in our country. Nearly one fifth of respondents believe that society is accepting and mildly judges the phenomenon. A significant difference in the perception of abuse by educational level was found between the high and low educated respondents. We also found significant differences in signalling functioning by type of workplace location (p = 0.020) and job category (p = 0.044). Conclusion: The results highlighted that preventive action by health care workers is the key to breaking the transgenerational effects. The authors would like to draw attention to the fact that the improvement of the quality of care depends significantly on the knowledge of professionals. Continuous basic and further training and in-depth knowledge development among primary care workers are necessary.

P7 - How can we work together to keep families safe from antimicrobial resistance?

Multi-resistant organisms cause havoc in health care systems. Health professionals including midwives and nurses are in an optimal position for the promotion of antibiotic stewardship in both hospitals and communities. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of midwives and nurses across hospital and community settings towards their role in the promotion of appropriate use of antibiotics. The study used a sequential explanatory mixed methodology with a total of 264 participants from hospital and community settings. The participants were invited to participate in focus group/individual interviews. This presentation is focused on this qualitative part of the study. The data from these interviews was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s framework. Three overarching themes were extracted from this study: the role of midwives and nurses, triangle education and governance. Within these themes the differences in practice towards antibiotics stewardship was evident and dependent on the setting. The participants believed that health professionals including doctors, pharmacists, midwives and nurses need to work with individuals and families to achieve the best outcome. Working together is the best approach to keep families safe from antimicrobial resistance.

Assessment of the Knowledge and Perceptions of Midwives and Nurses About Newborn Feeding Ability and The Early Initiation Of Breastfeeding.

Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is one of the measures to reduce newborn mortality. Nurses and midwives are crucial healthcare workers to achieving EIBF.Objective: To explore the knowledge and perceptions of nurses and midwives towards breastmilk and breastfeeding, EIBF and the perceived barriers to EIBF.Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study using an adapted standardized questionnaire which tested 4 domains of: knowledge about breastmilk and breastfeeding; the ability of the newborn to feed immediately after birth; the practice of skin-to-skin contact (SSC) for the newborn; and the practice of EIBF. The knowledge and perception of the respondents were categorized as good or poor if the total scores from the question-domains were ≥ 70% or < 70% respectively. Results: The general knowledge and perception about breastmilk and breastfeeding initiation was good with 64.6% and 62.6 % of respondents respectively having scores ≥ 70. The perception of the newborn feeding ability and the role of SSC were poor with scores of 27.1% and 31.3% respectively. The leading perceived barrier to EIBF was the mother being on nil-per-oris after C/S (81.3%). Binary logistic regression applied to the predictors of good practice in EIBF showed that the participants’ length of stay in their current ward posting (p = 0.002), knowledge about breastmilk and breastfeeding (p = 0.04) and perception of SSC (p = 0.003) were the most significant.Conclusion: Knowledge dissemination should prioritize the importance of EIBF and its perceived barriers.