Abstract
Author(s): BogumiÅa KieÅbratowska (ABCDEF), Urszula Sioma-Markowska (E), Dymitr Å»ukowski (EF), Krzysztof Preis (E)
Introduction. Breastfeeding is a physiological process that has been evolutionarily shaped for harmonious development of humans. For thousands of years, breastfeeding has sustained life and enabled preservation of the human kind. The aim of the paper was to assess the influence of maternal and neonatal care in the rooming-in system on the duration of breastfeeding. Material and methods. The survey-based study involved 858 women after childbirth, staying in five hospitals of Pomerania Province in Poland. The study was conducted in women after term pregnancies, who gave birth to children without disorders in the neonatal period and with the birth weight over 2,500 g, and who were discharged not later than 15 days after childbirth. Results. The rooming-in practice was followed in 89.2% of mothers and neonates after natural delivery, in 56.1% of cases after Caesarean section and in 83.33% of cases after instrumental birth. The application of this system depended on the type of childbirth in a statistically significant way. The duration of pregnancy and birth weight had no significant influence on allowing the mother and child to stay together in one room. The separation of the child from the mother for longer than an hour daily has a significant influence on the duration of breastfeeding as the only type of feeding (p=0.004). Conclusions. The rooming-in type of care has a significant impact on the duration of breastfeeding, and the course of labor determines the possibility of applying this practice. Medical procedures recommended in the program called 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding have a positive influence on the length of natural feeding. Caesarean delivery significantly restricts the possibility of the mother and child to stay together in the same room.