Table 2 Respondents’ awareness, knowledge, and misconception on breastfeeding, Hawela Tula, SNNPR, 2016
Variables | Frequency (n/%) |
|---|---|
How soon after birth should a newborn start breastfeeding? | |
Immediately or less than an hour | 371 (62.1) |
One hour after delivery | 214 (35.8) |
I don’t know | 12 (2.0) |
What should a mother do with the ‘first milk’ or colostrum? | |
Feed the newborn | 481 (80.6) |
Discard it | 116 (19.4) |
Do you know the risks associated with giving fluids/substances other than breast milk before initiation of breastfeeding? | |
Yes | 433 (72.5) |
The commonest risk a mother knows (n = 433) | |
Diarrhea | 133 (22.3) |
Vomiting | 253 (42.4) |
Other diseases | 28 (4.7) |
Not sure | 19 (3.2) |
No | 164 (27.5) |
Maternal knowledge on breastfeeding | |
Poor knowledge | 197 (33%) |
Moderate knowledge | 179 (30%) |
Good knowledge | 221 (37%) |
Misconception on breastfeeding (n = 597) – Agree | |
The first milk of the breast is not important to a newborn | 134 (22.4) |
Giving fluids/liquids prior to initiating breastfeeding is important to the health of a newborn | 99 (16.6) |
A breastfed newborn will get hungry if not given additional food within 24 h of birth | 271 (45.4) |
A newborn will get thrush if its mouth is not cleaned with water after breastfeeding | 137 (22.9) |
Women with small breasts have difficulty producing enough breastmilk | 30 (5.0) |