Impact of Caesarean Delivery on Early Initiation of Breastfeeding in Health Facilities in India: A Secondary Data Analysis Using NFHS-5 Data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51957/Healthline_823_2026Keywords:
Caesarian, Breast Feeding, Initiation, Maternal, NFHSAbstract
Introduction: Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is crucial for neonatal survival and wellbeing. Caesarean section (C-section) is known to delay EIBF due to reduced opportunity for mother-infant contact. Objective: To assess the association between C-section and Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) in institutional deliveries in India. Method: Secondary data analysis of NFHS-5 data (2019–21) was conducted. Statistical analysis was performed using R programming version 4.5.2. The exposure variable studied was type of delivery (Caesarean or Vaginal), main outcome was Early Initiation of Breastfeeding. Results: Early Initiation of Breastfeeding (EIBF) was observed in 47% of 127,969 institutional births and was found to be lower following C-section (aOR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.48–0.54). Maternal education, birthweight, ANC visits, and urban residence positively correlated with EIBF. Conclusion: C-section was significantly associated with delay in Early Initiation of Breastfeeding. Active support and targeted intervention for mother-baby dyad could potentially increase EIBF rates.
References
1. World Health Organization. Early initiation of breastfeeding to promote exclusive breastfeeding [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 28]. Available from: https://www.who.int/tools/elena/interventions/early-breastfeeding
2. Pandey AK, Raushan MR, Gautam D, Neogi SB. Alarming Trends of Cesarean Section—Time to Rethink: Evidence From a Large-Scale Cross-sectional Sample Survey in India. J Med Internet Res. 2023 Feb 13;25:e41892. doi: 10.2196/41892 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/41892
3. Raihana S, Alam A, Chad N, Huda TM, Dibley MJ. Delayed Initiation of Breastfeeding and Role of Mode and Place of Childbirth: Evidence from Health Surveys in 58 Low- and Middle- Income Countries (2012-2017). Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 2;18(11):5976. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115976 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115976
4. Bhati R, Ekambaram G, Gaikwad M, Vara A, Mahalakshmi B, Sivasubramanian N. Breast feeding practices after normal vaginal and caesarean delivery in Gujarat, India. Bioinformation. 2023;19(10):1029–34. doi: 10.6026/973206300191029 DOI: https://doi.org/10.6026/973206300191029
5. Smita, Franz N, Coffey D. The association between cesarean birth and breastfeeding initiation in Odisha, India: A mother fixed effects analysis. PloS One. 2024;19(2):e0287796. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287796 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287796
6. R Core Team (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. [Internet]. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; Available from: https://www.R-project.org/
7. Goel M, Jaiswal C, Maheshwari H, Chaudhary G, Tripathi J. Impact of Delivery Mode on Breastfeeding Practices: A Prospective Cohort Study. Indian J Child Health. 2024;11(12):110–7. doi: 10.32677/ijch.v11i12.4967 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32677/ijch.v11i12.4967
8. Stany D, Smitha MV, John J, Mohanty PK. Impact of a quality improvement program: Early initiation of breastfeeding after cesarean section in a tertiary care hospital, in Eastern India. Med J Armed Forces India. 2023 May 1;79(3):309–15. doi: 10.1016/j.mjafi.2021.09.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mjafi.2021.09.002
9. Dudeja S, Sikka P, Jain K, Suri V, Kumar P. Improving First-hour Breastfeeding Initiation Rate After Cesarean Deliveries: A Quality Improvement Study. Indian Pediatr. 2018 Sep 1;55(9):761–4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-018-1376-3
Downloads
Published
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Frederick Satiro Vaz, Gowtham M Khan, Paramveer Singh (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Articles in "Healthline Journal" are Open Access articles. The license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial purposes only, provided the original work and source is properly cited, and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
How to Cite
