Abstract

BACKGROUND:Health organizations recommended that mothers exclusively breast feed infants for the first sixmonths of life. Breastfeeding is a natural food that serves as a complete source of infant nutritionfor the first six months of life. It contains all the necessary nutrients provided in a bioavailable andeasily digestible form, protecting both mothers and children against illnesses and diseases withimmunological properties. Place of delivery in many study showed positive effect of rate ofexclusive breast feeding.OBJECTIVE:The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of breastfeeding in Hilla city and the rate of delivery indifferent sites and to identify relationship between exclusive breastfeeding habit and place ofdelivery.PATIENTS AND METHODS:This cross sectional study was conducted between the first of April and the first of July of 2018, inwhich 520 mothers were included and attending vaccination unit in PHCC in Hilla city. A selfconstrictedquestionnaire form was used to collect the required data. Data entry and analysis wasdone by using SPSS program version 23.RESULTS:The mean age of mother’s was26 ±6.1 years, the percentage of exclusive breast feeding was49.6%,the percent of delivery in the baby friend hospital was 30.6%.Mother age, type of delivery,who attended the delivery, and the type of feeding used by the mother in her previous infant was thefactors that contributed for practicing exclusive breastfeeding.CONCLUSION:The prevalence of exclusive breast feeding in Hilla city is fair and agrees with the rate reported inother parts in Iraq.

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The article was added to IASJ on 2020-10-26

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