ARTICLE

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is defined as the exclusive intake of breastmilk by an infant from its mother or wet nurse, or expressed milk with no addition of any liquid or solids apart from drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements or medicine, and nothing else.1 It is one of the cardinal components of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) aimed at protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding for optimal maternal and child health, and is part of the 1990 Innocenti Declaration which states that all governments should create an environment enabling women to practise EBF for the first 6 months of life and to continue breastfeeding with adequate complementary foods for up to 2 years.1,2 EBF rates (EBFR) reported in national surveys3,4 and from different centres5-7 have been rather low (0- 53.9%), despite the promotion of BFHI programmes in these health institutions, which is thought to be because of several factors in the mothers ’ environments. These factors could be social, physical, biological and psychological, and may impact positively or otherwise on the ability and willingness of women to practise EBF. Some researchers have proposed that lack of suitable facilities outside of the home, inconvenience, conflicts at work, family pressure and ignorance adversely affect the willingness of women to practise EBF.7,8 The need to return to work or school has also been implicated as a factor interfering with EBF.7,9 Various misconceptions by mothers have also been noted to adversely EBF; these include beliefs that breastmilk is insufficient or of poor quality, and that the baby does not gain weight adequately or is thirsty.7,10 A previous study10 in the Enugu area had noted an EBF rate of 33.3 % for up to the first 4 months after delivery. Our study aimed at establishing the factors that affect EBF practices up to 6 months after delivery (as is currently recommended) among mothers seen at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, Nigeria