Breast-feeding initiation among post-Caesarean women of the Negev, Israel.

The objectives of the study were to increase post-Caesarean breastfeeding rates and decrease timing of post-Caesarean breastfeeding initiation in multicultural populations following a post-Caesarean breastfeeding intervention. The study was a prospective population-based evaluation of a breastfeeding intervention for post-Caesarean women of different cultures at a southern Israeli hospital. The study population consisted of 570 Jewish and Muslim post-Caesarean women who had delivered healthy, term infants. The control group (n=264) received standard hospital care and the intervention group (n=306) received early, culturally sensitive, post-Caesarean breast-feeding guidance and education by trained professionals. Timing of post-Caesarean maternal-infant contact and breastfeeding initiation outcomes for the Jewish and Muslim women significantly improved following the intervention.