الفهرس 
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Abstract
Background: Breastfeeding is an unmatched way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants, with important implications for maternal health. The global public health recommendation is that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, starting in the first half hour after delivery. In Egypt, the Egypt Demographic and Health Survey shows that exclusive breastfeeding is common but not universal in very early infancy. Among infants under two months of age, 71% receiving only breast milk. However, the proportion exclusively breastfed drops off rapidly among older infants.
Aim of the study: To assess the practice and perception level about breastfeeding among women attending Primary Health Care Center in Giza, Egypt.
Research methodology: This study is cross-sectional study among women had at least one child aged 2 years or younger, included 380 participants, recruited from Primary health care center in Giza. Face to face interview questionnaire was used in data collection.
Results: The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 44 years old. 49.2% of the participants lived in urban areas, about half of females 49.2% had secondary or intermediate education and 33.9% of the participants were working mothers. Results show the breastfeeding practices among the studied mothers. It was found that 53.2% of babies received pre-lacteal food and 90.5% received colostrum. More than half of mothers (68.6%) initiated breastfeeding during the first hour after delivery and the mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding was about three and half months. The main barrier to breastfeeding was lactation problems (60%) followed by returning to work (24.2%). Other barriers included were lack of knowledge about benefits of breastfeeding (1.8%), misconception that formula is equivalent and lack of support and embarrassment about feeding in public (1.6%). 71.9% of the studied women had fair breastfeeding practice, 22.6% had poor practice and only 5.5% of them had good breastfeeding practice. 52.9% of the studied women had fair perception level of breastfeeding, 26.8% had good level and 20.3% of them had poor perception level. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 3.39±1.65 months among housewives, while 3.79±1.56 among working women and this difference was statistically significant (P=0.036). Baby age at weaning was 12.56±7.77 months among housewives, while 19.11±7 among working women and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.001).
Recommendations: Early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of infant life, the infant only receives breast milk, breastfeeding on demand – often as the child wants, day and night and no use of teats, bottles, or pacifier.