Barriers to Achieving the Recommended Duration of Breastfeeding in Women Visiting the Well-Baby Clinic of King Abdulaziz University Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study explores why many mothers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, do not breastfeed for the recommended six months, identifying common barriers like child illness and low milk supply.

Contribution

The study identifies specific local barriers to prolonged breastfeeding and links maternal age and early breastfeeding initiation with longer breastfeeding duration.

Findings

Only 44% of mothers breastfed for six months or longer, despite most intending to breastfeed for a year.

Child illness was the most common reason mothers stopped breastfeeding.

Younger maternal age was significantly associated with longer breastfeeding duration.

Abstract

Background

‏Natural breast milk is the ideal food for infants. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continuation of breastfeeding for the first year is recommended. However, less than half of infants worldwide are breastfed for six months.

Objectives

We sought to explore the discrepancy between the recommended and achieved duration of breastfeeding in a sample of mothers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the barriers to achieving the recommended duration of breastfeeding. We also examine the association between demographic and birth-related variables and breastfeeding initiation and duration.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study that took place at the well-baby clinic of King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 38 women who were visiting for the routine vaccination of their infants. The association between demographic and birth-related variables and breastfeeding was explored using the chi-square test.

Results

A total of 31 (81.6%) of the mothers breastfed their babies. Of those, only 44% (n = 11) breastfed for six months or longer. Among the mothers who were still breastfeeding, they planned to breastfeed for one year on average (12.2 ± 5.0 months). Among the mothers who were not breastfeeding at the time of the study, the mean duration of breastfeeding was only 3.7 months (SD = 4.6 months). A total of 92% of mothers introduced breast milk alternatives, and on average, it was introduced during the second month (1.8 ± 3.3 months). The main obstacles that led the mothers to stop breastfeeding were the child’s illness (87.5%), decreased milk production (41.7%), and the child refusing to breastfeed (25.0%). Younger maternal age and initiation of breastfeeding within 24 hours of birth were positively associated with breastfeeding, while the introduction of breast milk alternatives from birth was negatively associated with breastfeeding. Only younger maternal age was significantly associated with breastfeeding for longer than six months.

Conclusions

Although many mothers breastfed their children initially, the duration of breastfeeding was short. Teaching and encouraging mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding and proper nursing techniques and addressing common barriers may help increase the duration of breastfeeding.

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