Publication:

Breastfeeding practices of nursing mothers in Tamil Nadu: a hospital based cross sectional study

Background Breastfeeding is an essential component of maternal and child health. It has been envisaged that early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding are two key factors, which prevent mortalities relating to newborn and infants, and is also a great source of health and wellbeing of the mother and child. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding and the reasons for delay among postnatal mothers, in selected health centers in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Methods This hospital based cross sectional study was carried out among 450 post natal mothers who delivered in primary, secondary and tertiary care government hospitals in Chennai and its peripheries. The participants were selected by two-stage sampling. A pre-tested structured interview schedule was used to elicit data regarding breastfeeding practices. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 software and results presented using descriptive and analytical statistics.

Results A majority of the study participants (84.2%) belonged to 21–30 years age group and 48% mothers had normal delivery while 52% had a caesarean section. The prevalence rate of early initiation of breastfeeding was 55.8%. The reasons for delay in early initiation of breastfeeding were found to be due to ignorance of the mother (28.2%), pain after delivery (27.2%), respiratory distress (11.1%) and low birth weight of babies (7.5%).

Conclusions This study emphasizes the need for an increased effort to propagate and popularize the concept of early initiation of breastfeeding among the community, especially to antenatal mothers.