The Influence of Baby Showers on Breastfeeding Practices: Qualitative Findings From Mothers, 2022

Abstract

Breastfeeding is a critical practice that does not only help children survive, but provides them with nutrients required for optimal growth, physical and mental development as well as prevent infant mortality. In Botswana, available national data suggest that 40 percent of mothers initiate breastfeeding after birth (UNICEF, 2013). It has been observed that few babies (20 percent) are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life (UNICEF, 2013). Additionally, very few babies (6.9 percent) are breastfed to the recommended age of two (UNICEF, 2013). This suboptimal early nutrition profile may predispose Batswana children to poor health outcomes in both their infanthood and childhood years as well as in adulthood. The government of Botswana has made efforts to promote best breastfeeding practices but given the decline in the rate of breastfeeding, such efforts appear futile. In recent decades, there has been a shift in global health activity, with an emphasis on a return to support for community-based interventions for child survival (Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project, 2012).