CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Breast milk is the safest and most natural food for an infant. It provides an infant’s complete
nutritional needs up to four to six months of age. There is no need for other food or drink before
this age. When the baby is fed on breast milk only, it is called exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive
breastfeeding provides the best nutrition and growth for infants, and continued growth with the
introduction of solid foods at six months breastfed during the first four months of life Nigeria
62%, Somalia 7%, Sudan 40.8%, Swaziland 53%, Tanzania 4.1%, Uganda 68% and Zimbabwe
2.5%. These rates compare well with those outside Africa. (Ludvigsson, 2013).
Over several decades; there has been increasing interest in the promotion of exclusive
breastfeeding as the ‘best’ feeding method for infants. If all babies in the World were breastfed
exclusively, about 1.5 million lives would be saved annually. Not only would they survive but
their lives would be greatly enhanced as well. This is because breast milk is the best food for the
first six months of a baby’s life and no formula or product can ever replace it. All children
benefit from being breast fed regardless of their geographical location and breast milk is
composed of all the necessary nutrients needed for babies to grow up healthy and strong. In
resource-limited areas, poor breastfeeding practices usually results in child malnutrition which is
a major cause of more than half of all child deaths (Piwoz, 2010), exclusive breastfeeding is
regarded as imperative for infants’ survival. Of the 7 million under five children who were
reported dead globally in 2011, an estimated 1 million lives could have been saved by simple and
accessible practices such as exclusive breastfeeding (Agarwal, 2010).

In Nigeria, 52% of childhood deaths are attributed to the effect of malnutrition on disease
(Ginneken, 2010). Similarly, 21% of infant deaths are as a result of poor breastfeeding practices
in the country. For reasons that are poorly understood, exclusive breastfeeding is still not
commonly practiced in our country. Presumed biological mechanisms suggest that even small or
infrequent deviations from exclusive breastfeeding may increase the risk of HIV transmission
through damage to the integrity of the mucous membranes of the gut; caused by inflammation,
allergic reaction, or introduction of infectious pathogens. Reports in Nigeria have shown that
exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life is still as low as 17%. Nevertheless,
breastfeeding is almost universal in the country, but the trend is towards giving other feeds in
addition to breast milk (Nwankwo, 2012).

There is however a paucity of published works conducted in ijebu igbo which houses a unique
oke agbo community with a rich multi-ethnic and cultural diversity in an urban area. A study
within this community is therefore very important as it would reveal the areas where challenges
are being faced. It would also provide information about how early breastfeeding is initiated,
exclusive breastfeeding rates, and identify undesirable practices, adding to the body of
knowledge on breastfeeding practices in the community. The information gathered will help
policy makers and health facility managers to design and implement interventions that would
enable more infants and nursing mothers have access to the unequalled benefits of breastfeeding.
Families and the society as a whole would also benefit from the economic and environmental
benefits of breastfeeding such as reduced costs from childhood illnesses and infant mortality,
reduced environmental burden for the disposal of bottles and formula cans, reduced energy
demands for the production and transportation of artificial feeding products.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Breast-feeding has been the natural and best way of feeding infant time immemorial. This
important and natural mode of infant nutrition has been subjected to ridicule the state affair, may
well be as a result of mis- formation and ignorance and bottle feeding has replaced breast
feeding. This trend is most outstanding among literate. The importance of exclusive
breastfeeding cannot be overemphasized. Government at all levels and health practitioners have
embarked on various health outreaches to encourage exclusive breastfeeding for the first six
months of the infants life.    This statement of the problem of this study is to research on breast
feeding effect of breast feeding on the infant. This research is also to find out solution to the
following research questions.

1. Breastfeeding adopted by mothers encouraged?

2. What effect does breastfeeding have on the infant?
 3. What is the control measures adopted for breastfeeding?

However, this studies is limited to infant in oke agbo community of ijebu igbo.

1.3 Purpose of research

The purpose of the study is to know the level of awareness of the important of exclusive
breastfeeding to the infant in oke abgo community of ijebu igbo

1.4 Research Questions

In order to determine the knowledge among the mothers about benefits and practice of
breastfeeding, various research questions are formulated as stated below. It does help to
formulate the implementation in regard this study:

1. What are the levels of quality and average duration of exclusive breastfeeding practice in
infants aged 9-12months?

2. What others benefits of breastfeeding to the infant?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were posited for testing during the study.

1. H0: The health of babies between the ages of three to six months is not significantly
affected by exclusive breastfeeding practice.

H1: The health of babies between the ages of three to six months is significantly affected
by exclusive breastfeeding practice.

2. H0: The size of babies between the ages of three to six months is not significantly
affected by exclusive breastfeeding practice.
 H1: The size of babies between the ages of three to six months is significantly affected by
exclusive breastfeeding practice.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study of exclusive breastfeeding practice and its effect on the physical appearance of three to
six months babies would be of immense significance to mothers, students, home economics
teachers, health practitioners and even the government. It would serve as a guide to the
government and other health agencies in the formulation of health policies that would benefit the
infants in terms of reducing infant mortality rate as well as diseases associated with babies in
their early childhood life. It would as well be helpful to health practitioners in counselling their
female clients on matters patterning to the essence and paramount importance of exclusive
breastfeeding practice. The study will eradicate the perception of nursing mothers that babies during the
first six months of exclusive breastfeeding continue to be hungry.

1.7 Definition of term

Breast : Breast of an adult, consists of mammary gland and between15-20 lobes, where by the
lobes gives the breast size and shape

Breast Milk: Breast milk is prepared and stored in female breasts (or mammary glands) for her
infant offspring.

Breast Feeding: This is the process of breastfeeding a baby at least up to the two years old
regardless of addition of other complimentary foods

Exclusive breastfeeding: refers to when infants are not given any other food or liquid including
water during the first six months after delivery.

Exclusive artificial feeding: a feeding method that solely involves the use of none breast milk
foods.
Malnutrition: is a poor condition of health caused by a lack of food or a lack of the right type of
food.

1.8 Delimitation of study

Considerable part of recent studies on child health has been devoted to breastfeeding and its
exclusivity. Most of the studies as evident in the above discussion were quantitatively designed
to seek associations or correlations. And even with those that were qualitatively studied, most of
them were concerned with determinants other than the family. The focus of this study was thus
limited to seeking deep understanding of family influences of exclusive breastfeeding in Oke
Agbo Community of Ijebu Igbo. The study participants included breastfeeding women, family
members, traditional birth attendants, and a breastfeeding support group leader. As most of the
mothers were illiterate; a lot of time had to acquire knowledge

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