The Impact of Exclusive Breast Feeding on Infant Morbidity in The First Six Months of Infants Life

Abstract

The breast feeding was basic and ideal type of feed for infants especially during first six months of their life,
breast feeding has a main role in infant’s life as maintaining on mental and physical health, protecting from
many disease and play important role in health of mothers and national and international strategies. The
goals of this study is to estimate the prevalence exclusive breast feeding (EBF) in Basra (Southern of Iraq)
during period of study, to determine the impact of exclusive breast feeding on morbidity of infant during
first six months of life and to assess relationship between some character’s for mothers and babies (Age of
mothers at marriage, Age of mothers at baby birth, educational level, occupation, birth interval, methods
of delivery, parity, gestational age, age, gender and birth weight of infant). The study found prevalence of
exclusive breast feeding in infants for first six months of life is 54.75%, while (23.75%) and (21.5%) for
partial and exclusive formula feeding respectively and showed significant relationship between diarrhea
disease, respiratory tract infection and gastroenteritis and type of feeding in first six months of life at level
p<=0.05. also showed EBF associated with age of mothers at baby birth, education level, occupation of
mothers, and mode of delivery, gestational age and parity and found no relation between age of mothers at
marriage, birth interval and sex of infant with EBF.