Exclusive breastfeeding as a predictor of a natural birth control method among women in the South West, Nigeria.

Abstract
This study was carried out to assess the utilization of exclusive breastfeeding as a predicator of natural birth control among women in the south western Nigeria. Related literature was reviewed on different methods of National birth control with much emphasis on the useful ideas and the benefits of breastfeeding to both the nursing mothers and their babies. The population for the study consist only nursing mothers who are attending the infants welfare clinic, family planning clinic and ante-natal clinic which include civil servants, Traders and artisans. Four hundred subjects were randomly selected from about five thousands population of nursing mothers within the state in the south western Nigeria for the study. The instrument used for the study was self structured questionnaire that were validated by experts in the area of study and tested for the reliability of study using split half. A spearman rank order was used to analyze the result. A correlation coefficient of (0.75r) was obtained which ascertain its reliability for the study. The instrument was administered by the researcher and five research assistance. An inferential statistics of chi-square was used to analyze the formulated hypotheses. The result revealed that most respondents lack the knowledge about the benefit of exclusive breastfeeding, the nature of their work does not permit them to give exclusive breastfeeding. The health status of mothers and settlement pattern have influence on their compliance to exclusive breastfeeding. It is therefore recommended that appropriate steps through advocacy and campaign jingles be carried out by the stakeholders in the health sector; waiver should be given to nursing mothers to attend to their babies wherever the need arises to breastfeed them either at home or in the work place by their employers.
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