Frequency of breastfeeding in postpartum women and related factors

OBJECTIVE To study the frequency and determinants of breastfeeding (BF) among women up to 5 days postpartum in a Peloponnese regional hospital. METHOD The study sample consisted of postpartum women (up to 5 days) who had given birth either vaginally or by Cesarean section in the Messinia General Hospital during the period June-September 2013. Data were collected using the BF questionnaire of the Athens Institute of Child Health. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics), version 21.0 and the significance level was set at 5% (p=0.05). RESULTS Breastfeeding was initiated during the immediate postpartum period by 91.5% of the women and 94.6% had decided about BF before the delivery. Of those who did not breastfeed, 21.5% believed that if they had been better informed by the health care professionals about BF, they could have faced their health problems and eventually managed to breastfeed. Factors associated with BF were found to be age, health problems, work, educational level, marital status and country of origin. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of BF among immediate postpartum women was high. Factors affecting the process of BF are an integral part of a successful action plan, and addressing them could help its promotion.