Barriers and facilitators to breastfeeding during the immediate and one month postpartum periods, among Mexican women: a mixed methods approach.

Background: Evidence suggests that inadequate hospital practices, as well as sociocultural and community factors have detrimental effects on timely initiation as the first breastfeed within first hour after birth, and exclusive breastfeeding. The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that influence timely initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding at birth and 1 month postpartum in Mexican women delivering in public and private hospitals.

Methods: Mixed methods were conducted between May and July 2017, including surveys (n = 543) and semi-structured interviews (n = 60) in the immediate (7 h) and intermediate (30 days) postpartum periods.