Infant and young child feeding practices and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among ultra-poor slum mothers of Bangladesh.

This article focuses on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, particularly early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), among ultra-poor mothers living in urban slums of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study of 682 mothers with children aged 0–23 months in Dhaka and Saidpur found high rates of ever breastfeeding (99.3%) and EIBF within one hour (89.4%), but exclusive breastfeeding under six months (63.5%) and complementary feeding practices require improvement, while bottle feeding was relatively common (34.2%). Multivariable analysis identified that mothers with secondary or higher education were less likely to practice EIBF, whereas mothers with two or more live births were more likely to initiate breastfeeding early; cesarean delivery was associated with lower odds of EIBF compared to vaginal delivery. The study suggests targeted nutrition education and interventions addressing cesarean delivery rates and local socioeconomic factors to improve breastfeeding practices in this vulnerable population.