Enhancing Exclusive Breast-Feeding Practices through Midwives Support

Abstract

Background: Sequel to low Exclusive Breast-Feedingpractice rate, United Nations Children Fund and World Health Organization designed staff training as part of the ten steps to enhance exclusive breast-feeding practices in Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative programme aimed at supporting and encouraging mothers to exclusively breast feed the infants.

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine midwives' support towards enhancing the exclusive breastfeeding practices of lactating mothers at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa. Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Methods: The study employed cross-sectional descriptive research design. Population consists of all registered midwives working at Federal Medical Center. Sample for the study consisted of 200 participants selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to interpret the result.

Results: Findings revealed that most midwives have not been trained for exclusive breast-feedingsupport programmes. Reported challenges faced by the midwives include: Lack of exclusive breast-feedingsupport inservice training (36.0%), not being comfortable teaching exclusive breast feeding to lactating mothers 36(18.0%), not being opportune to render the needed support (8.5%) and that the hospital is not a baby friendly hospital (16.0%). There was statistical relationship between staff training and exclusive breastfeeding practice promotion and support (p = 0.1 < 0.5). Conclusion: Finding from the study show that majority of the midwives are still oblivious of their expected role in the support of exclusive breast-feeding practices among lactating mothers.

KEYWORDS: Enhancing, Exclusive Breast-feeding Practice, Midwives, Support,