Psycho-Physiological Coherence of Breastfeeding among Women in Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the psycho- physiological coherence of breastfeeding among Women in South West Nigeria. The research design used was the descriptive research design of the survey type. The population for the study was made up of women with breastfeeding experience. The sample consisted of 1,385 women selected from three states in South West Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was used. The research instrument used was titled Psycho-Physiological Coherence of Breastfeeding among Women Questionnaire (PPCBWQ). The instrument was valid and reliable; it was construct validated and a split half reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained The reason behind this study was to expose mothers to the realistic expectations of their physique or bodily changes to support the decision to breastfeed and avoid unnecessary supplementation.. From literature it was observed that despite exclusive breastfeeding being the optimal way of feeding an infant, the percentage of mothers who exclusively breastfed drop from over 75% who initiate to less than 11% at six months, well short of the Healthy People 2010 initiative goal of 50% of infants being exclusively breastfed for six months. The result of the finding  clearly shows that more of the breastfeeding activities took place during the night compared to day time as frequency of breastfeeding increased in the night. This is so because mothers do work during the day. It was also discovered that 725 out of 736 respondents who had knowledge of psycho physiological coherence  breastfeed their babies until satisfaction level is reached.

Key words: Psycho-Physiological, Coherence, Breastfeeding, South West Nigeria.