Exclusive breastfeeding among Indonesian working mothers: does early initiation of breastfeeding matter?

Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is a starting point that lays the foundation for breastfeeding and bonding between mother and baby. Meanwhile, working mothers are one of the vulnerable groups for the success of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). The study analyzed the role of EIBF on EBF among Indonesian working mothers.

Methods: The cross-sectional study examined secondary data from the 2021 Indonesian National Nutritional Status Survey. The study analyzed 4,003 respondents. We examined EBF practice as an outcome variable and EIBF as an exposure variable. We included nine control variables (residence, maternal age, marital, education, prenatal classes, wealth, infant age, sex, and birth weight). All variables were assessed by questionnaire. The study employed a binary logistic regression test in the last stage.

Results: The result showed that the proportion of EBF among working mothers in Indonesia in 2021 was 51.9%. Based on EIBF, Indonesian working mothers with EIBF were 2.053 times more likely than those without to perform EBF (p < 0.001; AOR 2.053; 95% CI 2.028-2.077). Moreover, the study also found control variables related to EBF in Indonesia: residence, maternal age, marital, education, prenatal classes, wealth, infant age, sex, and birth weight.

Conclusion: The study concluded that EIBF was related to EBF. Indonesian working mothers with EIBF were two times more likely than those without to perform EBF. The government needs to release policies that strengthen the occurrence of EIBF in working mothers to increase EBF coverage.