The effect of breastfeeding counseling given to postpartum women on breastfeeding success and breastfeeding self-efficacy

Aim: This study was planned to examine the effects of breastfeeding counseling given to postpartum women on breastfeeding success and breastfeeding self-efficacy. Material and Method: The research was conducted with a single group pre-test post-test model at Kahramanmaraş Elbistan State Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics Department between February 2022 and December 2022. 98 postpartum women were included in the study. The Sociodemographic Information Form, the Breastfeeding Self Efficacy Scale Short Form and the LATCH-Breastfeeding Diagnostic Scale were administered to the postpartum women as a pre-test. Participants were given breastfeeding training in groups of 4-5 people, in two sessions of two hours each, and then an education booklet was distributed. At the end of the last session, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form and the LATCH-Breastfeeding Diagnostic Scale were administered to the puerperants again. SPSS 21 package program was used in the evaluation of the research data. In the evaluation of the data, after the number, percentage distribution and arithmetic means were taken and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed, the dependent groups t test and Anova test were used for those that fit the normal distribution, and the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for those that did not fit the normal distribution. Results: The participants' average pre-test score on the EÖYÖKF was 62.03±5.74, and the average post-test score on the EÖYÖKF was 68.97±1.18. It was determined that the EÖYÖKF post-test score average was higher than the pre-test score average and there was a significant relationship between them (p<0.05). The average LATCH-ETÖ pre-test score was 8.74±1.50, and the average post-test score was 9.92±0.25. It was determined that the LATCH-ETÖ post-test score average was higher than the pre-test score average and there was a significant relationship between them (p<0.05). Conclusion: It has been determined that breastfeeding counseling given to postpartum women has a positive effect on breastfeeding success and breasfeeding self efficacy perception. Determining the characteristics of the mother and the baby that affect the breastfeeding process and providing the necessary training to solve the problems will have a positive effect on the breastfeeding process. Keywords: Breastfeeding success, Breastfeeding counseling, Breastfeeding self efficacy, Postpartum