Insights into the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Mothers with Infants under 6 Months at a Tertiary Care Center in Southern Tamil Nadu

Objectives: Initiation of breastfeeding shall be done within the 1 st h after birth, and exclusive breastfeeding shall be provided for the first 6 months of age. The objective of this study was to analyze and ascertain the knowledge, attitude, and practice of breastfeeding among lactating mothers. Material and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study carried out in the pediatrics department of Sivagangai Medical College, Tamil Nadu. The study was carried out for a period of 3 months between January 2024 and March 2024 among the mothers of infants (0–6 months). Informed consent was obtained from all the mothers included in the study. The data for the study were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26. Results: About Four hundred and sixty-three mothers (92.6%) reported that exclusive breastfeeding is important. Four hundred and eight mothers (81.6%) were aware that breastfeeding should be initiated within 1 h after birth. Four hundred and twenty-two mothers (82.2%) positively agreed that breastfeeding increases mother-child bonding. Four hundred and eighteen mothers (83.6%) reported that breastfeeding should be continued when the baby is ill. Four hundred and five mothers (81%) gave only breast milk as the first feed to the child. Three hundred and eleven mothers (62.2%) reported to have initiated breastfeeding within 1 h of delivery. Two hundred and ninety-eight mothers (59.6%) reported to have drunk 2–3 L of water. Conclusion: Many participants were found to have adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practice toward breastfeeding. The knowledge regarding expressing and storing breast milk is on the lower side. The proportion who had consulted a lactation consultant/medical advisor regarding lactation was also lesser, and so was the self-reported water consumption among the lactating mothers. This study helps us to assess the breastfeeding rate at the rural level and helps to counsel them regarding the importance of breastfeeding and advise them about methods of breastfeeding, storage of breast milk, and methods to increase milk production and proper ways of attachment, thereby increasing the breastfeeding rate in the population.