Awareness and Attitude on Storage and Feeding of Expressed Breast Milk among Postnatal Mothers Attending Tertiary Hospital, Pokhara

Breast milk is crucial for an infant’s nutrition and immunity, especially in the first six months. When direct breastfeeding is not possible, expressing milk becomes essential, yet many mothers face challenges due to limited awareness. The study aimed to assess awareness and attitude on storage and feeding of expressed breast milk among postnatal mothers attending a tertiary hospital, Pokhara. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 335 postnatal mothers at Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences. Participants were selected using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square test and Pearson correlation coefficient) were used for analysis. Almost all, (90.4%) mothers were aged 21 to 30 years, with a mean age of 26.99 ± 4.814 years. Most (90.7%) were Hindu, 42.3% were Brahmin/Chhetri, (74.0%) were homemakers, 70.7% had vaginal deliveries, and 43.0% were primiparous. In this study, 47.8% of mothers had adequate awareness and 51.9% had a positive attitude regarding expressed breast milk storage and feeding. Awareness was significantly associated with ethnicity (p ＜ 0.013), while no significant association was found for attitude. A weak positive correlation (r = 0.133, p < 0.015) was observed between awareness and attitude. Over half of the mothers had inadequate awareness, although more than half showed a positive attitude. Hospital authorities should better organize health education and awareness programmes.