Knowledge, Attitude and Practices about Exclusive Breastfeeding in Grandmothers of Newborns – An Observational Study

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The rate of exclusive and early breastfeeding in India is only 64% (NFHS 5- National Family Health Survey) even though WHO has suggested exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. Breastfeeding plays a crucial role in the development of a newborn, not only physically but mentally as well. Most of the would-be Mothers spend maximum time with their mother or mother-in-law who has the biggest influence on counseling these new-to-be mothers. These grandmothers know the benefits of breastfeeding, the importance of a special diet, and proper hydration for good quality milk but report inadequacies in the treatment of breast complications and the need for exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of life. Which is why we decided to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practices about exclusive breastfeeding among these grandmothers.

Material and methods

A survey was done in Dr. D. Y. Patil Hospital Pimpri, in which 270 grandmothers were interviewed out of 309 deliveries in the hospital over a period of 3 months from July to September 2022. This study was done as a part of World Breastfeeding Week activities.

A questionnaire was formed to ask grandmothers about antenatal and postnatal counseling, exclusive breastfeeding, early initiation of breastfeeding, the importance of colostrum, etc.

Analysis of the collected data was done using percentages and represented diagrammatically.

Results

It was observed that though 70% of grandmothers knew about the early initiation of BF, only 43% of patients actually initiated breastfeeding within one hour. The importance of colostrum is known by only 66% of grandmothers but colostrum feeding was encouraged by 81% of grandmothers. Almost all grandmothers knew about 6-month period of exclusive breastfeeding and it is practiced by most of them. A very minor 19.32% of mothers are counseled antenatally about breastfeeding while 90% of mothers are counseled postnatally by grandmothers.

Conclusion

Breastfed babies seem to have better immunity and development than those fed by top feeds. The awareness about this is much less than what it should be. So, it is important to raise the awareness amongst community through the most powerful resources. So, interventions to promote exclusive breastfeeding should be tailored to the needs of each population by identifying the factors that influence the practice in a given context. Grandmothers have knowledge that has been validated by their experiences and can directly affect the new, would-be mothers and their breastfeeding practices.

Clinical significance

These results indicate that there is a significant gap between knowledge and practices about exclusive and early breastfeeding and more active steps should be taken to change the attitude of grandmothers so that they will more actively and positively counsel the mothers to breastfeed. It is important to raise the awareness and implications of exclusive breastfeeding.

Categories

Obstetrics and gynecology, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding awareness.

How to cite this article

Kshirsagar SP, Kulkarni MM, Kulkarni JP, et al. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices about Exclusive Breastfeeding in Grandmothers of Newborns – An Observational Study. J Obstet Gynaecol Pract POGS 2023;1(1):15–17.