Infant feeding practices among mothers delivered at the Jos University Teaching Hospital intending to breastfeed exclusively for six months.
OBJECTIVE
The practicability of excusive breastfeeding (EBFing) for 6 months by mothers, especially the employed ones, in this country has been a big question to answer considering the short duration of their maternity leave of 3 months around their delivery. Using WHO recommendation as a point of reference, the present study assessed the infant feeding practices of mothers delivered at Jos University Teaching Hospital, (JUTH). Emphasis was moved on the employed ones.


METHODS
Infant feeding practices was studied prospectively among 461 mothers who delivered in JUTH and who initially intended to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months.


RESULTS
Four hundred and twenty two (91.5%) of the recruited mothers continued EBFing practice for 6 months, while 25 (5.4%) dropped out from the practice before 6 months. Formular feed was introduced by 5 (1.1%), water by 13(2.8%), while 7 (1.5%) babies were started on solid and semi-solid feeds before 6 months. Seventy six of the eight-two (92.7%) employed mothers continued EBFing practice for up to 6 months. Government employed counterpart (96.6%vs 64.0%), so also was primigravidae more than the grand-multigravidae (97.4% vs 80.0%). EBFing was also practiced most by house wives (98.1%) and petty traders (93.9%), and least practiced by business women and students mothers (67.9%) and (51.9%). No significant difference was observed in EBFing practice among mothers from different socio-economic background (92.9%,95.4% and 94.4%) for upper, middle and lower socio-economic class (SEC), and between male and female infants (50.4% Vs 49.6%), P > 0.05.
Okechukwu
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AA
Department of Paediatrics, Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja.
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009752:Nutritional Status; D016524:Parental Leave; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors