Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding is putting the newborn to breast within one hour after birth. This study was aimed to assess prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding and its associated factors among mothers who delivered by cesarean section in South Gondar Zone hospitals Northwest Ethiopia, 2020.
Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study was employed in South Gondar Zone hospitals from June 12 to July 03, 2020. A total of 356 cesarean delivered mothers were included. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire and entered in to Epi Data version 4.2 and then exported to SPSS version 23.0. Logistic regression statistical analyses were used to identify factors associated with the outcome variables.
Results: The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding among mothers who delivered by cesarean section was 51.9%. Mothers who had intended pregnancy [AOR = 2.69, 95% CI (1.34-5.38)], had professional guidance [AOR = 2.68, 95% CI (1.18-6.10)], had breastfeeding experience [AOR = 2.25, 95% CI (1.35-3.75)], and had four and above antenatal care visits [AOR = 2.20, 95% CI (1.24-3.91)] were positively associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among mothers who delivered by cesarean section.
Conclusion: Type of pregnancy, professional guidance, had four or more antenatal care and breastfeeding experience were significantly associated with early initiation of breast feeding among mothers who delivered by cesarean section. Community based breastfeeding education and counseling to pregnant mothers and encouraging all mothers to follow recommended ANC visit is should be recommended.
Keywords: Cesarean delivery; Early initiation of breastfeeding; Ethiopia.