COMPARISON OF TIMELY INITIATION OF BREASTFEEDING AND DISCHARGE TIMES OF MOTHERS WITH ETHNIC DIFFERENCES: NORTH MACEDONIA STUDY

Abstract

The quality of maternity and newborn care and training in the hospitals in North Macedonia is still inadequate today. This study aimed to examine their readiness for discharge and the first breastfeeding time according to ethnic groups in mothers who were postnatal in Tetovo State Hospital North Macedonia. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 202 Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Bosnian, and Romanian mothers who were hospitalized in the maternity service of Tetovo State Hospital in North Macedonia. Data were collected before discharge with a survey form and face-to-face interviews. The mothers reported that the first postpartum breastfeeding started after an average of 22.0±20.6 hours. Macedonian mothers reported that they received more training on shower and hygiene (p<0.05), nutrition and fluid intake (p<0.05), sleep and rest (p<0.01), family planning (p<0.01), and sexual intercourse (p<0.001) than Albanian and other mothers. The Albanian mothers indicated that they received less training on navel care (p<0.05), shower and skin care (<0.01), cleaning and emptying diapers (p<0.01), dressing (p<0.05), gas problems (p<0.01), regular health checks (p<0.05), jaundice (p<0.001), and vaccinations (p<0.05) compared to Macedonian and other mothers (p<0.05). The first breastfeeding time after birth is quite late in North Macedonia. Readiness for discharge differs between ethnic groups. The conditions in the health system and the quality of health care regarding hospital discharge should be improved for all ethnic groups.

Keywords

• breastfeeding
• discharge
• ethnic group
• north macedonia
• postnatal