Examining The Relationship between Exclusive Breastfeeding and a Mother’s Mental Health: A Case Of Professional Working Mothers In Safaricom Limited, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and a mother’s mental health. Specifically, the study sought to determine the prevalence of EBF among professional working mothers at Safaricom Ltd, investigate the breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among working mothers at Safaricom Ltd, and determine the relationship between maternal anxiety and EBF among working mothers at Safaricom Ltd. The study adopted a descriptive study design, and the target population was 150 working mothers (with lactating babies) at the Contact Center, Safaricom Ltd, in Jambo Care Centre. Ninety (90) respondents were sampled through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data, which was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to describe quantitative data. Study findings revealed that 92% of the respondents had planned to breastfeed for several months or more prior to giving birth. 86.7% of the respondents confirmed that they had received information regarding breastfeeding before they gave birth. On how they received the information, the majority (82.7%) cited health workers, 81.3% mentioned friends, 33.3% cited relatives, while those who mentioned media were 32%. The study established a positive and strong relationship between EBF prevalence and maternal anxiety among professional mothers working at Safaricom Ltd (r=0.675). A positive and very strong relationship was also determined between EBF among mothers and PPD symptoms among professional mothers working at Safaricom (r=0.867). The study recommends that the government and private organizations collaborate with policy experts to come up with a policy that compels all organizations to give working mothers a six months maternity leave from the time they give birth.