Assessing the Prevalence of Lactation Insuffi ciency with a View to Develop an Instructional Module to Promote Successful Lactation among Primipara Mothers in Chennai (Tamilnadu)

Abstract

Breastfeeding is a traditional practice that comes ‘naturally’ to Indian mothers. This study sought to assess the prevalence of lactation insuffi ciency and to fi nd out the association between prevalence of lactation insuffi ciency among primipara mothers with selected background variables. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a selected maternity hospital of South India between May–July 2020. A total of 103 mothers in the post-natal wards were selected. Lactation insuffi ciency was assessed using LATCH scoring system. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Majority of the mothers (53, 52.48%) were in the age group 26-30 years; 56 (54.37%) studied higher secondary; 93 (90.29 %) received information on breastfeeding; 61 (59.23%) had least favourable and 42 (40.77%) had favourable LATCH scores. Chi square revealed no signifi cant association between lactation insuffi ciency and selected background variables among mothers. To conclude, there is a need to strengthen nurse-led lactation support to achieve successful breastfeeding practices.