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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
Rural Outreach Program
ISSN: 1684-5358 EISSN: 1684-5358
Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015, pp. 9592-9606
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Bioline Code: nd15001
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015, pp. 9592-9606
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THE EXPERIENCES OF HIV-POSITIVE MOTHERS BREASTFEEDING EXCLUSIVELY IN SWAZILAND
Shongwe, Mduduzi Colani
Abstract
In Swaziland, 41.1% of pregnant women live with HIV, while only 32% of Swazi
mothers (including HIV negative mothers) currently practice exclusive breastfeeding
among infants less than six months of age. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding decreases
with an increase in the infant’s age, as only 17% of infants aged four to five months are
reported to be exclusively breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by the
ministry of health of Swaziland to reduce postnatal HIV transmission of HIV to the
infant, through the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT)
strategy. However, little is known about HIV-positive mothers’ perspectives and
experiences of exclusive breastfeeding in Swaziland. Therefore, a hospital-based
explorative, descriptive qualitative study design was employed to describe the
experiences of HIV-positive mothers in Swaziland breastfeeding exclusively. Seven
exclusive breastfeeding, HIV-positive mothers, aged 21-41 years, married and
unemployed, participated during two visits to the study site. Responses to semistructured
and in-depth interviews, through purposive sampling, were analyzed in order
to generate themes. Five major themes emerged: (i) benefits of breast milk to the mother
and the baby; (ii) social support factors; (iii) the role of healthcare workers in promoting
exclusive breastfeeding; (iv) psychological relief from a baby’s negative test result; and
(v) challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers. Despite pressure from relatives and inlaws
for some of the participants, they continued to breastfeed exclusively for the first
six months of the baby’s life, stating that breastfeeding benefited themselves and their
infants. Continuous teaching and counseling offered by nurses during child-welfare
clinic visits motivated the mothers to continue breastfeeding exclusively. In view of the
challenges expressed by mothers, there is a need to develop and implement feasible
interventions to improve support for HIV-positive mothers, in order to scale up
exclusive breastfeeding practices in the country. Counseling on exclusive breastfeeding
should also include the in-laws as they play a pivotal role in child feeding. This study
contributes to the body of knowledge on infant feeding and provides insights to
healthcare professionals and stakeholders working with HIV-positive breastfeeding
women.
Keywords
Experiences; Exclusive Breastfeeding; HIV-positive; Swaziland
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