Each year about 32.

4 million of children are born with low birth weight, which is

below the 10th percentile for their gestational ages; moreover, about fifteen million

of them are premature. Actually, about 60% of neonatal deaths occur in low birth

weight neonates related to their prematurity (Alsadi, 2017).

After the Alma-Ata Conference that held in 1978, the Mother and child care

services have been announced

as a key component of primary health care (PHC) (Myler, 2008). In the arena of

Public Health, the maternal and child health care services were declared as one of

the most important components for saving and improving the health of mothers

and child in developing and developed countries (LaRow, 2006). In the

developing countries, the maternal and child health care services remain a greater

challenge to the global and public health system (Peh, 2003). Poor health practices

and Lack of health care services during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading

causes of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Complications after the

obstetric period are responsible for most deformity and deaths for babies and

mothers in developing countries. These constitute one of the most intractable and

difficult health problems in the worlds (Ashford,1992). According to WHO

estimates in 2015, maternal mortality in Iraq fell by 53.3% over the past 25 years,

with a mean annual

decrease of 3.1%between 1990 and 2015. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD)

estimates in 2015, under 5

years child mortality in Iraq fell by 33.5% over the past 25 years, with a mean

annual decrease of 2.7% between

1990 and 2015. This indicates that Iraq has also made progress in reducing

maternal and child mortality (Berman,1997).

In Iraq, maternal care services face some obstacles common to the primary health

care (PHC) system. These obstacles are mainly related to inappropriate health care

service delivery including; inappropriate use of health services, poor infrastructure,

poor referral system, poor hygiene and lack of management guidelines. In addition,

other obstacles include workforce challenges, like the poor knowledge and

qualification of health care providers, lack of continuing education training, and

shortage in resources, including; low in quality of medical supplies, and shortage

in resources. poor leadership and Poor information technology are also important

obstacles to maternal care services (Berhe, 2017).

However .,Breastfeeding is one of the few interventions where the survival benefits

span the entire continuum of childhood:newborn, infancy and early childhood.

Both the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund

(UNICEF) recommend early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding

during the first 6 months of life and continued breastfeeding until

24 months of age (WHO,2009). Yet breastfeeding rates globally generally remain

low. Only 43% of the world’s newborns are put to the breast within 1 h of birth

and 40% of infants aged 6 months or less are exclusively breastfed (Factsheet,

2014)). A number of reviews have evaluated the impact of breastfeeding on child

mortality. The Bellagio Child Survival Series, published in The Lancet in 2003,

identified optimal breastfeeding as the key intervention that could prevent up to

13% of under-5 child deaths (Jones, 2003)). Subsequent reviews in the Lancet

Neonatal Survival Series and Nutrition series used the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to

model the effect of scaling-up breastfeeding and reaffirmed the importance of

breastfeeding in reducing neonatal, infant and child mortality.

Recent estimates suggest that optimal breastfeeding could prevent around 12%

deaths in under-5 children every year,

World Health Organization. (2009). Infant and young child feeding: model chapter

for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals. World Health

Organization.

Factsheet, W. (2014). Infant and Young Child Feeding.

Jones, G., Steketee, R. W., Black, R. E., Bhutta, Z. A., Morris, S. S., & Bellagio

Child Survival Study Group. (2003). How many child deaths can we prevent this

year?. The lancet, 362(9377), 65-71.

Myler, P., & Fasel, N. (2008). After the Genome. Caister Academic Press, Norfolk.

LaRow, J. M., DO, W. D., Elston, D. M., & Berger, T. G. (2006). Parasitic

Infestations, Stings, and Bites. Andrews’ Diseases of the Skin. Clinical

Dermatology. 10th ed. London. Saunders Elsevier, 422-425.

Peh, S. C. (2003). Manson’s Tropical Diseases. Pathology, 35(4), 361.

Ashford, R. W., Desjeux, P., & Deraadt, P. (1992). Estimation of population at risk

of infection and number of cases of leishmaniasis. Parasitology today, 8(3), 104-

105.

Berman, J. D. (1997). Human leishmaniasis: clinical, diagnostic, and

chemotherapeutic developments in the last 10 years. Clinical infectious

diseases, 24(4), 684-703.

Alsadi, E. (2017). Comparison study of causes and neonatal mortality rates of

newborns admitted in neonatal intensive care unit of Al-Sadder Teaching Hospital

in Al-Amara City, Iraq. International Journal of Pediatrics, 5(3), 4601-4611.