As much as progress has been made towards reducing infant death globally, breastfeeding has

been a significant cause of disease burden for infant mortality in different regions. Based on the
evidence for the child and population-level health outcomes, healthcare professionals
recommend EBF for the first six months to promote an infant's well-being and health. UNICEF
has also recognized breastfeeding as a suitable child health intervention, and therefore policies
need to be introduced to improve breastfeeding practices (Shahri et al., 2020, p.67). At the
individual level, the mother's choice of EBF could be determined by a combination of traits or
behaviours in different contexts. Healthcare professionals and families need to understand these
factors because they are essential when encouraging mothers, and different studies have
reviewed them. Some studies explored domains of intrapersonal traits, healthcare facilities
policies, breastfeeding intervention, and sources of support and concluded that there is a need to
complement healthcare professionals' services with peer encouragement or support (Martínez-
Vázquez et al., 2022, p.16). Breastfeeding directly affects the young one's gut microbiota through
exposure to milk. Maternal milk affects bacterial growth, secretory IgA, human milk
oligosaccharides, and antimicrobial factors. Breast milk protects infants from health conditions
such as asthma and allergies. According to WHO, breastfeeding should never be discontinued
because it prevents risks that the infants could be exposed to in case of infection (Shahri et al.,
2020, p.76). Other recommendations were; the need for infant health service providers to
enlighten mothers on optimal breastfeeding and support them in attaining their objectives.