The effect of antenatal podcast sessions and prenatal education classes on breastfeeding self-efficacy and infant feeding attitudes in the postpartum period

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of breastfeeding education provided via podcasts and antenatal classes during the third trimester of pregnancy on postpartum maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy and infant feeding attitudes, as well as to compare the effectiveness of these two methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted between January and August 2025 with pregnant women attending the Antenatal Clinic of Sakarya Training and Research Hospital and was designed as a randomized controlled trial (NCT07124663). Data were collected using the Pregnancy Identification Form, the Short Form of the Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale, the Infant Feeding Attitude Scale, the Postpartum Identification Form, and the Short Form of the Postnatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale. Data from a total of 90 pregnant women were analyzed, and statistical analyses were performed using IBM® SPSS® Statistics 30 and R programs. RESULTS: Breastfeeding education delivered via podcasts was found to have significant effects on maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy (χ²=23.337; p<0.001; W=0.259) and infant feeding attitudes (χ²=19.902; p<0.001; W=0.221). Face-to-face education in antenatal classes was effective only on breastfeeding self-efficacy (χ²=18.190; p<0.001; W=0.202) and did not significantly change feeding attitudes. Although no statistically significant differences were observed between groups, mothers in the podcast group had higher mean scores at all measurement points. CONCLUSION: Prenatal education increases breastfeeding self-efficacy, and podcast-based education offers flexible learning. The findings support midwife-guided digital education as an effective alternative in breastfeeding counseling. Keywords: Antenatal class, Breastfeeding education, Breastfeeding self-efficacy, Infant feeding attitude, Podcasting