Breast-feeding practice and breast milk intake in rural Nigeria.

A cross-sectional study of breast-feeding practice amongst rural Nigerian mothers and their babies is reported. At 1, 14, 30, 60 and 90 d after birth 56, 17, 45, 31 and 26 mothers/baby pairs were studied. Ninety-five per cent of the babies had sips of water immediately after birth--only 3 were offered the breast at this time. Breast-feeding was begun in the others between 2 to 25 h after birth. At 14, 30, 60 and 90 d respectively, mean breast milk intakes were 252.9 +/- 88 g, 393 +/- 199, 341 +/- 156 and 350 +/- 181 g. Intake was related to the number of breastfeeds given by the mother. Reports of breastmilk intake of babies should also record child rearing practices as these could affect breastmilk consumption.