Modelling the Trend and Determinants of Breastfeeding Initiation in Nigeria

This paper examined the general trend of timing of breastfeeding initiation among nursing mothers in Nigeria. The time of initiating the first breast milk to an infant by his/her mother is measured as whether it is immediate (before the first hour of birth) or delayed (after the first hour of birth), and the impacts of some socioeconomic and maternal factors on this are determined. Results from this study showed that mother’s age at birth, her enhanced educational status, mothers’ domiciling in urban areas, singleton birth, and mother’s frequent antenatal visits among others contributed positively to early initiation of breastfeeding by Nigerian nursing mothers ( ). In the contrary, delivery through caesarean operation, nursing mothers that delivers at homes instead of hospitals, and the current birth being the first from a mother are all found to militate against early initiation of breastfeeding ( ) among others. General results showed that early breastfeeding initiation experience among nursing mothers in Nigeria significantly improves over time between 1990 and 2008 ( ), although following a sinusoidal pattern. Four waves of national data from the Nigerian Demographic and Health Surveys for 1990, 1999, 2003, and 2008 were employed in the study. 1. Introduction Early introduction of breast milk to newly-born babies immediately after delivery has been shown in many studies to be capable of giving the babies the required immunity to diseases through mother’s antibodies, and this in turn, lowers the risks of early childhood deaths [1–6]. This is largely due to the possibility of ingesting maternal colostrum into the babies few hours after parturition. The colostrum is a liquid mixture that is rich in protein, sugar, vitamins, minerals, and antibodies which a child needs to facilitate his/her growth and survivorship. Some other health benefits derivable from feeding a child with early breast milk have been reported by Feachem and Koblinsky [7], Jason et al. [8], and Agunbiade and Ogunleye [9]. In their different studies, they reported, among other things, that early breastfeeding of infants reduces the risk of having diarrhoea which is a major cause of infant and childhood death in sub-Sahara African and other developing countries. In a related study, Clemens et al. [3] found that early initiation of breast milk actually reduces the risk of diarrhoea among rural Egyptian children. The literature has it that social support received by mothers during childbirth is a catalyst for early initiation of breastfeeding in Nigeria [10]. Many studies have equally