Factors associated with an inadequate volume of expressed milk among mothers of preterm and low birth weight neonates admitted to Neonatal Intensive CcareUnits of Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract Background Globally among live births born annually about 15 million are born prematurely before 37 completed weeks. Born preterm is one factor for suboptimal breastfeeding. This study aimed to identify factors associated with an inadequate volume of expressed milk among mothers of preterm and Low Birth Weight neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Units of government hospitals in Addis Ababa. Methods Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted in government hospitals providing Neonatal Intensive Care Units on a total of 124 mothers who were available in Neonatal Intensive Care Units during the study period. Results About one-third of the respondents (33.9%) were not able to express the required amount of milk. Stable health status of a baby (AOR = 0.24; CI = 0.07 to 0.86), the fair (subcritical) health status of a baby (AOR = 0.18; CI = 0.04 to 0.76), worry about volume milk (AOR = 3.51; CI = 1.40 to 8.80) and worry about the health status of the baby (AOR = 3.88; CI = 1.61 to 9.90) were significantly associated with an inadequate volume of expressed breast milk Conclusions The present study revealed that 33.9% of mothers were not able to express an adequate amount of milk. To promote an adequate amount of expressed breast milk health care providers have to alleviate the psychological problems of mothers in the Neonatal Intensive CcareUnits and providing all possible care to prevent deterioration of neonates.