Prevalence of the early onset of maternal breastfeeding

Abstract

Introduction: the situation with maternal breastfeeding is difficult to describe with any certainty, given the absence of any data gathered in maternity hospitals, and the timing of its onset has not been explicitly evaluated. Further research is needed to evaluate breastfeeding support measures. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of early onset of maternal breastfeeding (EOMB) and to analyze the relationship with different maternal and newborn factors. Methods: a descriptive study was performed of births in a public hospital over a three-year period. The database used for the study derived from an electronic clinical record system designed by professionals. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed. The association of early onset of maternal breastfeeding with other parameters from mother and newborn was analyzed by the Fisher’s test. Results: the prevalence of EOMB was 88.4%. A total of 2,683 births were included in the study. Significant associations were found between this EOMB and different maternal factors, such as parity (p = 0.05) and weeks of gestation (p = 0.047), but not with age (p = 0.522). A strong association was also found with all the factors of the child (p = 0.000), such as weight, color of the amniotic fluid, the Apgar test at one and five minutes, the type of resuscitation required or the need for admission in the neonatal unit. Conclusions: There has been a high rate of (EOMB) in our setting.