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Published:
Nov 7, 2019DOI:
10.4314/ahs.v19i3.43Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Breastfeeding skills of full-term newborns and associated factors in a low-and-middle-income setting
Abstract
Background: Normative information on the breastfeeding of term newborns may guide clinicians in early identification of breastfeeding difficulties and oro-pharyngeal dysphagia (OPD), and may support optimal breastfeeding practices.
Objective: To describe breastfeeding skills of term newborn infants in a South African hospital, a lower-middle-income setting, and investigate associations between infants’ feeding and other factors.
Method: One breastfeeding session of each of the 71 healthy newborn full-term infants (mean chronological age=1.9 days; mean gestation=39.1 weeks) was evaluated using the Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale (PIBBS), suitable for use with term newborns.
Results: All participants were exclusively breastfed. Thirteen participants (18%) were HIV-exposed. There was no significant difference in the findings of the PIBBS between HIV-exposed and unexposed participants. Most newborns had obvious rooting, latched deeply onto the nipple and some of the areola, had repeated long sucking bursts (mean length=16.82 sucks/burst), and swallowed repeatedly. Most participants were in either the drowsy or quiet-alert state, which are optimal behavioural states for breastfeeding. One to two-hourly on-demand feeds was significantly associated with mothers who had normal births and did not use galactogogues to promote lactation.
Conclusion: Results may be used for early identification of OPD in newborns. The findings may be useful to primary care clinicians.
Keywords: Full-term, newborn, breastfeeding, feeding skills, feeding characteristics, normative data.
