ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to assess early initiation of breastfeeding and associated factors among mothers of aged less than 12 months children in the rural eastern zone, Tigray, Ethiopia.ResultsTotally 803 mother–child pairs were participated in this study with a response rate of 99.25%. Out of this, 787 mothers had ever breastfed their children. Four hundred eighty-seven (61.9%) mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 h after they gave birth. Mothers having an educational status of primary education were about 2 times more likely to initiate breastfeeding within 1 h of birth [AOR: 1.99, 95% CI 1.36–2.92] and those mothers having secondary education and above were 3.23 times more likely to start breastfeeding [AOR = 3.23, 95% CI 1.99–5.26]. Mothers who had mistimed pregnancy were 58% less likely to initiate breastfeeding within 1 h of birth [AOR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.27–0.65]. On the other hand, mothers who had delivered their child vaginally were 4.6 times more likely to start early initiation of breast feeding [AOR: 4.59, 95% CI 1.99–10.56].

Background. Prelacteal feeding is an obstacle to optimal breastfeeding practices in developing countries. It directly or indirectly affects the health of the infants. Despite its importance, this issue has received little attention in Ethiopia. As a result, this study aimed to assess prelacteal feeding and associated factors among mothers of children aged less than 12 months in the rural eastern zone, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods. Community-based cross-sectional study design was employed. The final sample size was 828, and the multistage sampling technique was used. Pretested and structured interviewer-administered tool was used for data collection. Data were entered, coded, and cleaned by Epi-Info version 7 and analyzed by using SPSS 22.0. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control the effect of confounding. Results. Eight hundred three mothers participated in this study. During the first three days after birth, 198 (24.7%) mothers practiced prelacteal feeding. Parity (AOR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04–2.23), late initiation of breastfeeding (AOR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.30–2.59), and colostrum discard (AOR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.06–2.33) were strongly associated with prelacteal feeding practice. Conclusion and Recommendation. One-fourth of participants practiced prelacteal feeding. Late initiation of breastfeeding, colostrum discard, and parity were significant determinants of prelacteal feeding. Awareness creation and health education concerning the advantages of early initiation of breastfeeding and the importance of colostrum during their health visits is necessary.

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Introduction. Uterine rupture is a leading cause of maternal death in Ethiopia. Despite strengthening the health care system and providing basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care closer to the communities, uterine rupture continues to produce devastating maternal and fetal outcomes. Although risk factors of uterine rupture are context specific, there is lack of clarity in our context towards the contributing factors and untoward outcomes of uterine rupture. This study was conducted to identify the risk factors of uterine rupture and its impacts in public hospitals of Tigrai. Objective. This study would identify determinant factors of uterine rupture and its management outcomes among mothers who gave birth in public hospitals in Tigrai region, North Ethiopia. Method. A retrospective hospital-based unmatched case control study design was implemented with 135 cases of women with uterine rupture and 270 controls of women without uterine rupture. Cases were enrolled consecutively from case notes of women who gave birth from 1/9/2015 to 30/6/2019, while charts (case note) of women without uterine rupture found following the cases were selected randomly and enrolled. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression with 95% confidence interval was used to identify the determinants of uterine rupture. Result. Mothers referred from remote health institutions (AOR 7.29 (95% CI: 2.7, 19.68)), mothers who visited once for antenatal care (AOR 2.85 (95% CI: 1.02, 7.94)), those experiencing obstructed labor (AOR 13.33 (95% CI: 4.23, 42.05)), and birth weight of a newborn greater than four kilograms (AOR 5.68 (95% CI: 1.39, 23.2)) were significantly associated with uterine rupture. From 135 mothers who develop uterine rupture, 13 (9.6%) mothers died and 101 (74.8%) fetuses were stillborn. Obstetrical complications like abdominal hysterectomy in 75 (55.6%) of mothers and excessive blood loss in 84 (57.8%) were additional untoward outcomes of uterine rupture. Conclusion. Referrals from remote health institutions, once-visited antenatal care, obstructed labor, and birth weight of newborns greater than four kilograms were significant determinants of uterine rupture. Maternal death, stillbirth, hysterectomy, and hemorrhage were adverse outcomes. The findings of this study suggest early identification of factors that expose to uterine rupture during antenatal care, labor, and delivery must be attended to and further prospective studies are needed to explore predictors of untoward outcomes. Knowing the determinants of uterine rupture helps prevent the occurrence of a problem in pregnant women, which reduces maternal morbidity and mortality, and would have a tremendous help in identifying the best optional strategies in our current practices. This assertion was added to the abstract concluding session.