1.Intention and actual exclusive breastfeeding practices among women admitted for elective cesarean delivery in Kelantan, Malaysia: A prospective cohort study
Nazirah Johar ; Noraini Mohamad ; Norkhafizah Saddk ; Tengku Alina Tengku Ismail ; Zaharah Sulaiman
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2020;75(3):274-280
Introduction: The intention of a woman to breastfeed is one
of the predictors of breastfeeding initiation and duration.
Objective: The aim of this study is to determine exclusive
breastfeeding (EBF) intention among women admitted for
elective cesarean delivery in Kelantan and their postnatal
EBF practices.
Methods: A total of 171 women, mostly Malays, admitted for
elective cesarean delivery at two tertiary hospitals in
Kelantan participated in this prospective cohort study. The
Malay version of Infant Feeding Intentions (IFI) scale was
administered one day before the surgery to determine the
EBF intention, and follow-up phone calls were made at one
month, three months, and six months after delivery to
determine the actual EBF practices.
Results: Before delivery, 86.5%, 82.5% and 77.2% of the
women somewhat agreed or very much agreed to practice
EBF for 1, 3 and 6 months respectively and the actual EBF
practices after delivery were 80.1%, 59.6%, and 42.1%.
Women who had the intention to practice EBF for 6 months
were about 2 times more likely to practice EBF for 6 months
than those who did not have the intention to EBF (OR 2.19,
95% CI: 1.01-4.76). No significant association was found
between EBF intention and the actual EBF practices at 1
month and 3 months postnatal.
Conclusions: The number of women who practiced EBF
after cesarean delivery was lower than those who had the
intention prior to delivery. The number further declined as
the child grew older. Prenatal EBF intention was associated
with actual postnatal EBF practices at 6 months.