Colostrum and complementary feeding practices among Jordanian women.

PURPOSE

To identify the practice of Jordanian women regarding colostrum and complementary feeding during the postpartum period.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to investigate the practices of colostrum and complementary feeding. A convenience sample of 572 postpartum women was recruited from postpartum units at three governmental hospitals and three private hospitals. Data were collected in two phases. In the first phase, trained research assistants conducted face-to-face structured interviews with the participants at the hospital. In the second phase, follow-up phone interviews were conducted at the end of the first month after birth.

RESULTS

Almost all of the postpartum women breastfeed colostrum to their infants. Further, 79% of postpartum women intended to give their infants fluids other than breast milk and 68% of them actually gave fluids to their infants by the end of the first month.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Postpartum Jordanian women value colostrum and breastfeed it to their infants. However, they generally start introducing complementary feeding to their infants during the postpartum period, which would discontinue exclusive breastfeeding practices and alter the nutritional status of the infants later in their life. Therefore, nurses and midwives should emphasize, through their antenatal and postnatal care, the recommended practices of exclusive breastfeeding up to the sixth month and complementary feeding.