"BEYOND THE BASICS: INSIGHTS ON BREASTFEEDING FROM EXPERIENCED MOTHERS”

Introduction: Breastfeeding ensures optimal infant health and enhances maternal well-being. Despite its numerous benefits, many multiparous women face challenges that interfere with their breastfeeding practices. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding breastfeeding among multiparous women at a tertiary centre in Kuala Lumpur. It specifically looks at the relationship between knowledge and breastfeeding practices, assesses the correlation between attitudes and practices, investigates how knowledge and attitudes interact, identifies barriers to breastfeeding, and determines the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among participants. The research questions focused on understanding how knowledge influences breastfeeding practices, the correlation between attitudes and practices, attitudes held by knowledgeable mothers, barriers impacting breastfeeding, and the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding within the department. Method and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 185 multiparous women who were either para two or above with live births. Participants were recruited during admission for delivery. Data regarding their breastfeeding practices in the previous pregnancy were collected through structured, validated questionnaires assessing sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of breastfeeding guidelines, attitudes towards breastfeeding, and actual breastfeeding practices via face-to-face interviews. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices were evaluated using a Likert scoring system and statistical analyses to explore relationships among these variables. Result:The findings indicated that 59.3% of participants possessed adequate knowledge about breastfeeding and demonstrated good practices, while 59.2% exhibited positive attitudes towards breastfeeding. However, only 50.3% practised exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended duration. These results reveal a significant gap between knowledge and breastfeeding practices among multiparous women. The most commonly reported barrier was the perception of insufficient milk supply. This is due to challenge of managing work commitments (38.4%) and return to work post-maternity leave (35.1%). Conclusion: The findings showed that although most of the multiparous women had a good knowledge about breastfeeding, their attitudes and practices nevertheless show clear discrepancies that can compromise optimal breastfeeding outcomes. These findings highlight the necessity of focused educational initiatives that improve multiparous women’s attitudes regarding breastfeeding while increasing their knowledge.