The effect of planned section caesarean on postpartum EARLY milk release and breastfeeding success

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of planned caesarean sections on early postpartum milk release and breastfeeding success. Material and Methods: February-October 2022, the research was conducted as a cohort study in Aydın province with 90 mothers (planned caesarean section n:30, emergency caesarean section n:30, vaginal delivery n:30) in the postpartum period. The data were collected with the Introductory Information Form, LATCH Breastfeeding Diagnostic Scale and Lactation Evaluation Form. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square, ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis tests. Results: In the research, it was determined that the mean gestational week of women at delivery who had planned caesarean section (38.30±0.60; min-max: 37-39) were statistically significantly earlier than those of emergency caesarean section group (39.00±1.23; min-max: 37-41) and vaginal delivery groups (39.17±1.18; min-max: 37-41) (F:11.109; p= 0.004). It was found that the rate of skin-to-skin contact of babies of mothers who had vaginal delirvery (63.3%) was higher than that of planned (6.7%) and emergency (3.3%) caesarean sections, and this difference was statistically significant(χ²= 36.939; p= 0.001). The difference between the three groups was significant in terms of the breastfeeding rates within the first 30-60 minutes postpartum period (Planned caesarean section: 6.7%; emergency caesarean section: 36.7%; vaginal delivery: 93.3%) (χ²=46.859; p=0.001). It was found that the rate of feeding the baby with only breastmilk in mothers who had planned caesarean section (6.7%) was statistically significantly lower than that of those who had vaginal delivery (93.3%) and emergency caesarean section (36.7%). Again, it was found that LATCH scale score means were significantly the lowest in planned caesarean section group (5.33±2.02; min-max: 2-10), medium in emergency caesarean section group (8.16±1.41; min-max: 4-10) and higher in vaginal delivery group (8.93±1.04; min-max: 7-10). Conclusion: In this research, it was concluded that, planned caesarean section negatively effects the skin-to-skin contact times, initiation of breastfeeding within the first 30-60 minutes, feeding only with breastmilk and breastfeeding success rates. By reducing the planned caesarean section rates, it can contribute to the improvement of infant health in the early postpartum period. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding problems, Breastmilk, Caesarean section, Vaginal delivery.