Delivery Setting and Mode

Vaginal delivery was the strongest positive predictor of timely breastfeeding initiation. Women who delivered at home were less likely to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour than women who delivered in a health facility. The study could not distinguish elective from emergency caesarean sections. Vaginal delivery supports earlier mother-newborn contact, faster maternal recovery, and infant alertness after birth. Three studies tailored interventions using individualized or personalized approaches. Home delivery was strongly negatively associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding compared with health facility delivery. Caesarean delivery can delay breastfeeding initiation because anaesthesia and postoperative recovery reduce maternal alertness and mobility. Most included studies were conducted in primary care settings. Face-to-face delivery was the dominant delivery mode among the included studies. Some interventions were delivered through mobile apps, telephone calls, or combined computer and mobile applications. Some interventions addressed patients' social and biomedical needs such as insomnia, pain, poverty, and grief.