Pediatrics and Child Health, The University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Int Breastfeed J. 2022 May 2;17(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s13006-022-00469-6.
Expression and storage of breastmilk is a strategy that ensures continued breast milk consumption in the event of temporary separation of an infant from the mother. However, many studies show that working mothers are unable to exclusively breastfeed for six months successfully. Working mothers are forced to wean early because of minimal support at the workplace, lack of knowledge on breast milk expression and lack of storage facilities. The 2017 Kenya Health Act mandates employers to provide lactation rooms for facilitation of breast milk expression in support of the lactating mother. This study analyses the knowledge attitude and practice of breast milk expression among working women in Kenya.
This was a cross sectional study done between December 2018 and February 2019. Study participants were 395 working women with infants aged six months and below, attending well baby clinics in two large public hospitals in Nairobi Kenya. A structured questionnaire with open and closed ended questions was used to establish the knowledge and practice while a Likert scale was used to explore attitudes of the mothers towards expression and storage of breast milk.
Overall satisfactory knowledge on breast milk expression and storage was attained by only 34% of working mothers. Eighty four percent positively agreed that expression and storage of breast milk would help them achieve six months of exclusive breastfeeding. Challenges experienced were breast pain and cumbersome nature of expressing milk. Only 41% (161) were expressing breast milk either regularly or occasionally. The most common reason (24.7%) for expressing milk was to enable someone else feed the baby when they were at work. Most mothers (77%) expressed at home as the workplace did not seem to provide adequate equipment to facilitate breastmilk expression and storage.
There is a substantial knowledge gap on expression and storage of breast milk. Working mothers have a good attitude towards attainment of exclusive breast milk feeding through expression of breast milk. The workplace does not have adequate facilities to support expression and storage of breast milk.
表达和储存母乳是一种策略，可确保婴儿与母亲暂时分离时仍能持续食用母乳。然而，许多研究表明，职业母亲无法成功地完全母乳喂养六个月。由于工作场所支持不足、缺乏母乳表达知识以及缺乏储存设施，职业母亲被迫提前断奶。2017 年《肯尼亚卫生法案》授权雇主为促进母乳喂养而提供哺乳室。本研究分析了肯尼亚职业女性对母乳表达的知识、态度和实践。
这是一项横断面研究，于 2018 年 12 月至 2019 年 2 月进行。研究参与者为 395 名年龄在六个月及以下、在肯尼亚内罗毕两家大型公立医院参加婴儿保健诊所的职业女性。使用带有开放式和封闭式问题的结构化问卷来确定知识和实践，而使用李克特量表来探索母亲对母乳表达和储存的态度。
只有 34%的职业母亲对母乳表达和储存有总体满意的知识。84%的母亲积极同意母乳表达和储存有助于她们实现六个月的纯母乳喂养。所经历的挑战包括乳房疼痛和挤奶的繁琐性质。只有 41%（161 人）定期或偶尔表达母乳。表达母乳的最常见原因（24.7%）是当她们在工作时，让其他人喂养婴儿。大多数母亲（77%）在家中表达母乳，因为工作场所似乎没有提供足够的设备来促进母乳的表达和储存。
在母乳表达和储存方面存在着相当大的知识差距。职业母亲对通过表达母乳来实现纯母乳喂养有良好的态度。工作场所没有足够的设施来支持母乳的表达和储存。
