| Summary: | The study was aimed to obtain information on knowledge of mothers about
fecundity after childbirth and to explore the reproductive behavior of the mothers
related to breastfeeding, postpartum abstinence and contraceptive practices. This
was a comparative study between the WHOP of BRAC {Bogra Sadar thana) and
a non program {Joypurhat) area. Data was collected by five female interviewers
retrospectively from a total of 400 randomly selected women who were in 6 to 12
week of their post partum period. Women are most unlikely to adopt contraception
unless they resume ft1enstruation as they believe that fecundity returns only after
the resumption of menstruation. Whereas they tend to resume sexual activity
within 40 days after childbirth. A significant higher proportion of women in the
program area were found to have fed colostrum than in the non program area
(92% vs 71 %), they were unlikely to be breast feeding exclusively. Mothers are
loosing the contraceptive benefits of breastfeeding very soon after delivery and
are at risk of subsequent conception. As reliance on lactational infertility alone is
not advisable due to the early weaning and partial breast feeding, the program
should increasingly promote the use of appropriate contraceptive methods from
the early postpartum period.
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