Episiotomy practice in the Middle East: A Lebanese teaching tertiary care centre experience.

Problem: There is lack of data on the rate of episiotomy in Lebanon and the study's hospital.

Background: Only a few studies have addressed episiotomy practice in Lebanon and the Middle East and they show varying rates.

Aim: To identify the rate, and change in rate, of episiotomy practice over the years at a teaching hospital in Lebanon and to assess whether maternal age, parity, fetal weight, woman's hospital admission class, and physician's gender were associated with episiotomy.

A complex breastfeeding promotion and support intervention in a developing country: study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Breastfeeding has countless benefits to mothers, children and community at large, especially in developing countries. Studies from Lebanon report disappointingly low breastfeeding exclusivity and continuation rates. Evidence reveals that antenatal breastfeeding education, professional lactation support, and peer lay support are individually effective at increasing breastfeeding duration and exclusivity, particularly in low-income settings.