Abstract
Breastfeeding is defined as the process of feeding an infant or young child with milk from mother breast. The purpose of this research work is to determine the impact of breastfeeding on Survival of Neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Federal Medical Centre Asaba Delta State from January 2024 to December 2024. The population of the study consist of a target 254 case folders of neonates admitted in NICU from January 2024 to December 2024. The instrument used for data collection was researcher developed proforma and data was analyzed using frequency distribution percentages and tables. The findings show that exclusive breastfeeding remains one of the most powerful, affordable, and evidence-based strategies for improving neonatal survival and reducing morbidity in hospital settings. The findings shows the survival rate among exclusively breastfed neonates was remarkably high at 95.3 percent, compared to 87.1 percent among mixed-fed neonates and 80.4 percent among those who were formula-fed. The major barriers identified include Maternal illness or postpartum complications (19%), Poor lactation support and counseling (17.5%), Mother–baby separation due to NICU restrictions (15.9%). These factors highlight systemic, institutional, and psychosocial issues limiting breastfeeding success. Complications were least among exclusively breastfed neonates (13.3%), moderate among mixed-fed (35.7%), and highest among formulafed (53.6%).Exclusive breastfeeding substantially reduced the incidence of diarrhoea, NEC, and respiratory infections, consistent with global neonatal health research. It is recommended that Hospitals should create breastfeeding support centres within the NICU, staffed by trained lactation consultants and nurses to provide daily guidance and psychological encouragement to mothers.