The maternal factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding among postnatal mothers at A private hospital in post-Conflict mogadishu

Breast milk increases resilience against infections, boosts infants’ neurodevelopment, and reduces the likelihood of non-communicable diseases. All mothers must breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first six months of their infant’s life. All mothers must breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first six months of their infant’s life.  In low-income countries, only 39% of children are exclusively breastfed. In Somalia, only 33% of babies are exclusively breastfed. Therefore, we determine the maternal factors associated with the low level of exclusively breastfeeding in Mogadishu, Somalia. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among mothers of babies aged between 6-9 months attending postnatal care at a private hospital, in Mogadishu. Mothers were recruited using a consecutive sampling method. Data were collected using questionnaires, and the analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding, and statistical significance was determined at a 5% significance level. Results A total of 280 mothers with a child aged between 6-9 months participated in the study. The mothers' average age was 27.8 (±4.12) years, while the babies were on average aged 7.6(±1.2) months. About 63% of the mothers were married, and 67% had 2 to 5 children.