Practice of early initiation of breastfeeding among postnatal mothers in a tertiary hospital in South India

Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) has significant health benefits, but the practice of this in many parts of the world is far beyond the optimal period of initiation. Hence, we planned to assess the time of initiation of breastfeeding among postnatal mothers and to identify the factors associated with practice of early initiation in a tertiary hospital setting. Methods: The study was carried out among 216 postnatal mothers who delivered term healthy babies. All the mother–infant dyads enrolled were interviewed within 6 h postpartum. Data were collected using a structured interview. An in-depth interview of 35 staff nurses, who worked in the labor rooms and postpartum wards, was carried out after 3 months of initial data collection, to assess the factors responsible for delayed breastfeeding. Results: One hundred and twenty-six (58%) mothers were primiparous and 97 (44.9%) had secondary level of education. The median time of initiation of breastfeeding was 94 min (interquartile range 48–126 min). The time of rooming-in and the mother's knowledge on early breastfeeding initiation were found to be associated with the time of initiation of breastfeeding. Conclusion: EIBF was extremely low in the study setting, which is alarming and suggests an immediate need for the change of existing hospital policy