The effect of COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on breastfeeding, maternal perceived stress and maternal life satisfaction

Introduction and Aim: The probable impact of COVID-19 on pregnant and fetus as well as newborn, raises great concern in the appropriate management of the mother and newborn and eventually in the continuity of breastfeeding in mothers diagnosed with COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to determine the factors affecting the mode of delivery, breastfeeding experiences, access to support, perceived stress and life satisfaction of mothers over age of 18 with a baby under age one. Material and Method: Our study was conducted with mothers with babies under 12 months. They were selected from five different family health centers with various socioeconomic status in Adana between 1 July 2021 and 30 September 2021. Verbal consent was obtained from mothers. Sociodemographic Data Collection Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Scale and Perceived Stress Scale were used by physicians and nurses to be completed by mothers on the phone. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 30.1±5.8 years (min:19 max:43). Of 300 babies, 168 (56.0%) were boys and 132 (44.0%) were girls. Half (n=153; 51.0%) of the deliveries were at private hospital, 95 (31.7%) in public hospital, 48 (16.0%) in university hospitals, three (1.0%) at home with midwife and one (0.3%) was at home alone. Of mothers, 81 (27.0%) stated that they had exclusively breastfed their babies, 68 (22.7%) with breast milk and supplementary food, 62 (20.7%) with breastmilk and formula and 21 (7.0%) with formula only. It was found that 42 (14.0%) of the mothers had COVID-19 during the breastfeeding period. Of these 42 mothers, 33 (11.0%) were followed at home and nine (3.0%) were hospitalized. Of these 42 mothers, 18 (6.0%) stopped breastfeeding for an average of 8.4±6.7 days. Of total mothers, 55 (18.3%) were negatively affected by the pandemic and stopped breastfeeding earlier than they had planned, 41 (13.7%) were positively affected by the pandemic and breastfed longer than they had planned, 204 (68.0%) said that the pandemic had no effect on breastfeeding. Of mothers, 116 (38.7%) stated that they had received enough practical support for breastfeeding during the pandemic, 179 (59.7%) stated that they felt anxious due to infodemia during the pandemic. There was significant positive relation between the Life Satisfaction Scale scores of the mothers receiving enough practical support for breastfeeding during the pandemic, the time between delivery and onset of breastfeeding and thinking that they were positively affected by the pandemic. The Perceived Stress Scale scores of mothers feeling anxiety due to the infodemia during the pandemic were found to be higher. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mothers and infants. It has been shown that infant nutrition has been affected due to infodemia in pandemic. While mothers had planned to breastfeed their babies more frequently and for longer periods in this period, it was observed that they preferred to feed their babies with formula. Family physicians should encourage mothers about breastfeeding until the age of two and should consult them about access to correct information. Key words: COVID-19, Breastfeeding, Infodemia, Life Satisfaction, Perceived Stress