© 2020 |Published by Scholars Middle East Publishers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 32 Saudi Journal of Nursing and Health Care Abbreviated Key Title: Saudi J Nurs Health Care ISSN 2616-7921 (Print) |ISSN 2616-6186 (Online) Scholars Middle East Publishers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Journal homepage: https://saudijournals.com/sjnhc Original Research Article Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Mothers Regarding Exclusive Breastfeeding in Infants Admitted in PIMS, Islamabad Sana Majeed 1* , Abdul Momin Rizwan Ahmed 1 , Farah Naeem 1 , Sumaira Naz 2 1 Tertiary Care Hospital PIMS Islamabad Pakistan, University of Lahore Islamabad Campus, Shifa College of Nursing Islamabad, Pakistan 2 Vice Principal, Institute of Nursing Wah Medical College, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan DOI: 10.36348/sjnhc.2020.v03i02.002 | Received: 21.01.2020 | Accepted: 28.01.2020 | Published: 12.02.2020 *Corresponding author: Sana Majeed Abstract Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers regarding exclusive breastfeeding in infants, admitted in PIMS, Islamabad. Study Design: Descriptive qualitative study design based on in-depth interviews. Place and Study Duration: It was carried out from December 2015 to May 2016 involving mothers of infants admitted in PIMS Islamabad. Materials and Methods: Data was collected through in-depth interviews from the mothers of infants till the saturation of ideas, which was came at the thirtieth respondent. The collected data was analyzed manually. Verbatim notes were taken and interviews were recorded. After transcribing the data, nodes and sub-nodes were developed and on the basis of them, themes were generated. Results: The results of the study showed that most of the mothers knew the advantages of breast feeding and its importance for the health of the infants. The main reason behind this was the cultural practices, running in the families for years as well as the myths of elderly at homes, who were the main decision makers. Conclusion: The study gave a basic level of knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers about exclusive breast feeding. Breastfeeding is a natural and beneficial source of nutrition and provides the healthiest start for an infant. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Infants, Mothers. Copyright @ 2020: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use (NonCommercial, or CC-BY-NC) provided the original author and source are credited. INTRODUCTION Exclusive breastfeeding means that the infant only receives breast milk with no addition of liquids or solids and not even water until six months of age. It is an ideal food for the infant. Additionally, it is also beneficial for the health of the mothers. Evidence has shown that on a community level, exclusive breastfeeding is optimal feeding for the infants for the first six months. Thereafter, complementary feeding should be added to breastfeeding from six months and continued up to two years of age or beyond [1]. Breast milk contains all the nutrients and minerals and hence, the infant does not require any other food or fluids other than breast milk [1]. WHO also states that infants should receive only breast milk from birth to six months of age. It has better outcome for the neonates. Exclusive breastfeeding reduces the mortality and morbidity rates in the initial months of life. Mothers need counseling and support regarding practices of exclusive breastfeeding during postnatal care. Studies have shown that it has great influence on the health of the mother as well as infant. Breast milk is easily digestible for the infant. It protects the infant from gastrointestinal infections. It is recommended that exclusive breastfeeding should be initiated within first hour of birth. It releases oxytocin that protects the mother from post-partum hemorrhage. Thus, it reduces the risk of newborn and maternal mortality rates [2]. Breast milk is a rich source of energy. It fulfills the demand of growing child especially in the age of six to twenty-three months. It can provide critical source of energy and nutrients even in the time of illness and disease. It provides a way to recovery from illness. Breast milk is a way of survival for the babies who are malnourished, preterm and low birth weight infants. Therefore, breast milk reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality [2]. Breast feeding is - cost effective. It is a best way of reducing health costs at individual, family, community level as well as at national level by