Factors influencing the attitudes and successes related to mothers' breastfeeding in the early postpartum period

This descriptive study is applied for determining the factors which effect the behavior and success of the mothers' breastfeeding in early postpartum period. The participants of the study are discharged 573 women volunteers who were given birth at Aydın Obstetrics and Infantile Diseases Hospital. Data was collected by a questionnaire including mothers' information, 'breastfeeding observation sheet' and 'breastfeeding behavior evaluation scale'. Data was evaluated by descriptive statistics, t-test, correlation, Crombah Alpha and multiple regression. The age average of the participant mothers' is 26.02±5.39. It is found that most of the mothers are primary school graduates (%43.5) and %86 of them have health insurance, %31.9 of mothers is primipara, and % 28.3 of the mothers' pregnancy is unplanned. %62.8 of mothers have trained about breastfeeding during their pregnancy periods, 40.8 of the mothers have trained about breastfeeding right after the birth and 94.1 of the mothers got cared before birth. Multiple regression analysis results show that the breastfeeding behavior evaluation analysis results are positively effected by having care before the birth, having information about breastfeeding and breast milk during their pregnancy; having an unplanned baby, given birth more than four, having the information about breastfeeding somewhere else rather than the hospital staff, feeding the baby with something different from breast milk, and having no information at the after birth period about the breastfeeding and breast milk negatively and it is also found that the breastfeeding observation points are effected positively if mothers had information about breastfeeding and breast milk during their pregnancy; having an unplanned baby, given birth more than four, having the information about breastfeeding somewhere else rather than the hospital staff, feeding the baby with something different from breast milk negatively. Participants' breastfeeding observation marks average is positively effected by having a girl baby, having one child, living in a small family, income level of the family, support of the companions during breastfeeding, describing the relationship with her husband positively, breastfed the previous baby for six months; having no care before birth, describing the relationship with her husband negatively, planning to feeding the baby only with breast-milk, the first attempt to give the previous baby sugared water, breastfeeding the previous baby less than a month negatively effected the breastfeeding observation marks average. This study found out that mothers' breastfeeding behavior and success effected by mothers' socio-demographic characteristics, the relationship with her husband, breastfeeding support, the breastfeeding training given by the hospital staff. The breastfeeding averages can be increased by inviting the husband and the family members to the breastfeeding trainings and planning the breastfeeding training individually. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding attitude, Breastfeeding success, Midwifery, Midwifery care