The Correlation Between Breastfeeding Success in the Early Postpartum Period and the Perception of Self-Efficacy in Breastfeeding and Breast Problems in the Late Postpartum.

Introduction: The research was conducted to determine the correlation between breastfeeding success in the early postpartum period and the perception of self-efficacy in breastfeeding and breast problems in late postpartum.

Methods: This analytic and cross-sectional research was carried out at Aydın Obstetrics and Gynecology and Children's Diseases Hospital. Three hundred twenty-seven primipara mothers who had delivered a single baby of healthy term at 37 or more gestational weeks with no previous experience with breastfeeding and who agreed to cooperate participated in the research.

Results: The mothers' mean gestational week of delivery was 39.25 ± 1.10 weeks, and it was found that 56.0% had delivered by cesarean section and 57.0% had started to breastfeed immediately after the birth. The mothers' LATCH mean score was 6.55 ± 0.86; their postnatal breastfeeding self-efficacy mean score was found to be 59.10 ± 7.21. Mothers who had high success in breastfeeding at early postpartum were found to experience fewer problems with their breasts (Z = -2.65, p < 0.05), gave birth by vaginal delivery (Z = -2.88, p < 0.05), and had not received anesthesia during the delivery (Z = -2.52, p < 0.05). In the correlation analysis, it was seen that mothers with high success in breastfeeding also had high self-efficacy scores (r = 0.210, p = 0.003).

Conclusion: The results of the research indicated that breastfeeding success in the early postpartum period reduced breast problems and increased the perception of breastfeeding self-efficacy in the late postpartum period.