Abstract
In Japan, the proportion of mothers who breastfed exclusively at 1 month was 71 percent in the 1960s; this figure decreased to 32 percent in the 1970s and has been low ever since (42 percent in 2005). In 2005, there were only 40 baby-friendly hospitals in Japan, which represents only 1.3 percent of the total number of Japanese maternity hospitals. Kangaroo mother care for low-birthweight infants was introduced in Japan in 1998. Kangaroo mother care has now expanded to include full-term infants in most Japanese maternity hospitals, since kangaroo mother care has been shown to have some beneficial effects, including promotion of mother’s milk secretion. Early skin-to-skin contact is also common in Japanese maternity hospitals. However, the Japanese tradition of bathing a baby immediately after birth continues, as does the use of supplemental feeding with sugar water. The World Health Organisation recommends helping mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth in Step 4 ofEvidence for the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (see Chapter 10 in this volume). However, there is controversy about the importance of breastfeeding within 30 min after delivery. Our previous study showed that early breastfeeding after delivery was significantly associated with continuation of full breastfeeding. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the proportion of mothers who continued full breastfeeding at 4 months was 2.5-fold higher in those who breastfed their baby within 2 h compared with more than 2 h. Moreover, maternal satisfaction with first breastfeeding was also associated with early initiation of breastfeeding within 2 h. Some mothers described their feelings about breastfeeding in a questionnaire as ‘I felt motherly love’, ‘I felt calm’ and ‘I had greater pleasure with childbirth’. Early breastfeeding not only increased the proportion of mothers maintaining full breastfeeding but also produced positive mental effects in the mothers. Helping mothers initiate early breastfeeding, especially within 2 h, is strongly recommended for child and maternal health.
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Nakao, Y., Honda, S. (2011). Early Initiation of Breastfeeding and Its Beneficial Effects in Japan. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Infant Feeding Practices. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6873-9_19
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