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Is Baby-Friendly Breastfeeding Support in Maternity Hospitals Associated with Breastfeeding Satisfaction Among Japanese Mothers?

Maternal and Child Health Journal volume 19, pages 1252–1262 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

While the World Health Organization’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative has increased breastfeeding duration and exclusivity, a survey found that only 8.5 % of maternity hospitals in 31 developed countries could be designated baby-friendly. Baby-friendly breastfeeding support is sometimes criticized as mother unfriendly. This study examined whether baby-friendly breastfeeding support was associated with breastfeeding satisfaction, duration, and exclusivity among Japanese mothers. In this cross-sectional study, 601 breastfeeding Japanese mothers completed questionnaires at their infants’ 4-month health checkups at two wards in Yokohama, Japan; 363 were included in the analysis. Baby-friendly breastfeeding support was measured based on the WHO’s “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.” We measured satisfaction using two subscales of the Japanese version of the Maternal Breastfeeding Evaluation Scale. The association of baby-friendly support with maternal satisfaction was assessed using multiple linear regression, while the prevalence ratios (PRs) for breastfeeding were estimated using Poisson regression. Mothers were stratified by prepartum exclusive breastfeeding intention (yes, n = 256; no, n = 107). Mothers who experienced early skin-to-skin contact with their infants were more likely to report breastfeeding satisfaction than those who did not. Among mothers without exclusive breastfeeding intention, those who were encouraged to feed on demand were more likely to be breastfeeding without formula at 1 month (PR 2.66 [95 % CI 1.32, 5.36]) and to perceive breastfeeding as beneficial for their baby (regression coefficient = 3.14 [95 % CI 0.11, 6.17]) than those who were not so encouraged. Breastfeeding satisfaction was a useful measure of breastfeeding outcome. Early skin-to-skin contact and encouragement to feed on demand in the hospital facilitate breastfeeding satisfaction.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Junko Yasuoka and Dr. Yutaka Matsuyama at the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo for their advice on research planning and analysis. We are grateful to Mr. Donald Halstead at Harvard School of Public Health for his comments on the manuscript. We are thankful to Dr. Kazuo Seki at Yokohama City University Medical Center for his support on data collection. We also thank the mothers who participated and the Public Health and Welfare Centers in Asahi and Minami Wards, Yokohama, for allowing us to conduct the study during infant health checkups. Finally, we are grateful for the financial support received through the Academic Research Grant Program at the University of Tokyo.

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  1. Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Hiroko Hongo, Keiko Nanishi, Akira Shibanuma & Masamine Jimba

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  1. Hiroko Hongo
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  2. Keiko Nanishi
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  3. Akira Shibanuma
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  4. Masamine Jimba
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Correspondence to Keiko Nanishi.

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Hongo, H., Nanishi, K., Shibanuma, A. et al. Is Baby-Friendly Breastfeeding Support in Maternity Hospitals Associated with Breastfeeding Satisfaction Among Japanese Mothers?. Matern Child Health J 19, 1252–1262 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1631-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1631-8

Keywords

  • Perinatal care
  • Postpartum period
  • Intention
  • Japan
  • Maternal breastfeeding evaluation