Breastfeeding Practices among Employed Saudi Mothers

Aim of Study: To assess breastfeeding practices of employed Saudi mothers in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.Subjects and Methods: This descriptive study included 519 employed Saudi mothers that were selected consecutively among mothers attending with their children the pediatrics clinics of a tertiary health care center in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. The inclusion criteria were being an employed Saudi mother whose youngest child is at least 2 years old. A study questionnaire was designed for data collection. It included questions that covered different feeding practices e.g., time of starting breastfeeding, feeding type, causes for early cessation of breastfeeding, obstacles against breastfeeding.Results: About one third of participant mothers (34.3%) started breastfeeding their babies within the first hour after delivery while 50.7% started breastfeeding 1-6 hours after delivery. Only 17% of participants children were exclusively breastfed. Causes for early cessation of breastfeeding were insufficient milk (48%) and work-related problems (25.6%). The main causes for difficulties against breastfeeding were busy working hours not allowing the mother to express her milk was the main work-related problem facing almost half of participants (45.9%), and work regulations that do not permit escorting children to workplace (34.1%).Conclusions: Exclusive breastfeeding is low among working Saudi mothers. Early cessation of breastfeeding is mainly due to perceived insufficient breast milk and work-related problems, such as busy working hours and work regulations that do not allow escorting children to the workplace. A breastfeeding-friendly workplace is recommended to increase the initiation and duration of breastfeeding.