Maternal outcomes of breast milk feeding in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the optimum method of nutrition for the growing infant. It has been suggested that breastfeeding also benefits the mothers. It is proposed that lactation is an efficient way of promoting postpartum weight loss. Furthermore, postpartum depression can be challenging for both mothers and their infants. It is likely that postpartum depression leads to early cessation of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding may alter the risk of depression. Objectives: To measure the adherence and frequency of breast milk feeding among mothers in King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), identify the relationship between breastfeeding and the development of postpartum depression and calculate the postpartum weight reduction percentage in comparison with prepregnancy weight. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in KAUH among 150 mothers, whose infants are less than 2 years of age. Data on the pattern of feeding and the suggested outcomes were collected by interviewing the mothers using a standard questionnaire designed for the study and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Measurement of height, weight and waist circumference were also carried out. Simple descriptive statistical analysis, percentages for categorical data and mean (standard deviation) for continuous data, were produced using SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Chi-squared test and Fisher’ s exact test were utilized to compare between two proportions. A P -value 0.05) and 84.97% of the mothers had the same or more weight than before pregnancy. Conclusions: Mothers in KAUH have a high frequency of breast milk feeding and are well adherent. The outcomes of breast milk feeding in mothers in the context of weight loss were not observed. Depressed women were less adherent to the practice of breast milk feeding. Acknowledgements: Dr Hala Mosli for supervising this project.