CHALLENGES OF EXCLUSIVE BREAST FEEDING AMONG WORKING CLASS WOMEN IN OWERRI MUNICIPAL.
ABSTRACT
The study was carried out on one hundred working class mothers in owerri municipal to assess the practice and challenges of exclusive breastfeeding.
Questionnaires were used to elicit information relating to the study. The data collected were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS),version seventeen. It was found that 92% of the women were aware of exclusive breastfeeding, while 5% were ignorant. 46% the women practiced exclusive breastfeeding while 54% of them practiced mixed feeding. Among those that did not practice exclusive breastfeeding 19% could not because of the nature of their job, 6% did not for fear of weight gain, 6% did not because of the misconception that exclusively breastfed babies hardly accept other foods after six months while 1% did not for economic reasons, pressure from relatives and the belief that the breast milk was insufficient for the baby, respectively. It is recommended that working class mothers should be taught the ideal duration of exclusive breastfeeding and its benefits. A combination of knowledge of proper breast milk extraction, preservation and the establishment of a standard crèche in all places of work is recommended.   Â
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certification                                                                                     i
Dedication                                                                              ii
Acknowledgement                                                                   iii
Abstract                                                                                  iv
Table of contents                                                                    v
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction                                                                           1
- Background of study                                                     1-5
- Statement of problem                                                    5-6
- Objective of study                                                          6
- Significance of study                                                     6-7
- Scope of the study                                                         7-8
- Limitation of study                                                        8
- Definition of terms                                                        8-10
CHAPTER TWO
Literature review                                                                    11
- Exclusive breast feeding                                                11-13
- Exclusive breast feeding practices                                 13-16
- Benefits of breast feeding: best for the baby                  16-19
- Maternal benefits: best for the mother                          20-22
- Benefits of breast feeding to the community                 23-24
and nation
- Promotion of exclusive breast feeding                            24-26
- Why exclusive breast feeding should be promoted        26-27
- Challenges/problems of exclusive breast feeding          27-30
- Knowledge/attitude and the practice of exclusive         30-31
breast feeding
- Nutritional value of breast milk                                     31-33
- Advantages of exclusive breast feeding over infant        34-35
formula
- Dangers of bottle feeding.                                              35-37
CHAPTER THREE
Research methodology                                                            38
- Materials and methods                                                  38
- Sampling techniques                                                    39
- Sample size/population                                                39
- Data collection                                                              39
- Data analysis                                                                39
CHAPTER FOUR
- Results and discussion                                                 40-41
- Economic status of husbands                                       42
- Practice of breastfeeding                                                43-44
- Level of awareness on exclusive breast feeding and       45-48
practice of exclusive breast feeding
- Mothers attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding         48-53
- Benefits and success of exclusive breast feeding           54-56
- Challenges/problems facing exclusive breast                56-57
feeding practices
- Association between mothers social economic               57-60
status and practice of exclusive breastfeeding
CHAPTER FIVE
Discussions                                                                          61-63
Conclusion                                                                             64
Recommendation
