Breastfeeding and Family Planning amongst Women in Ibadan, Nigeria

Contraceptive use is still low in developing countries including Nigeria even though its knowledge is widespread. The option of Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) as a contraceptive is however reported at 5%. In spite of its demonstrated advantage, EBF is far less common among lactating mothers which has led to the decline of its use as birth spacing. The reasons for this low use among lactating mothers are yet to be thoroughly investigated. The major question arising from this is to what extent has demographic features been reflected in the low usage of EBF as a contraceptive? Is there any discernible trend of the low usage of EBF as a contraceptive? To answer these and other related questions, this survey study utilizes the combination of Social Action Theory by Max Weber and Ajzen’s Theory of Reasoned Action as its theoretical framework. Data collection was both primary and secondary. Using the NDHS (2003 to 2008) data base and structured questionnaire administered on lactating mothers, it is expected that the factors affecting the use of EBF as a contraceptive will centre on demographic factors such as income, knowledge and education and ethnic membership will influence attitude and eventual use of EBF.
Keywords: Birth spacing, Exclusive breastfeeding, Lactating mothers, Contraceptive
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