Turkish Archives of Pediatrics
Original Article

The Effect of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy on Infants’ Weights and Breastfeeding Outcomes

1.

Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Health Sciences University, Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

Turk Arch Pediatr 2023; 58: 588-593
DOI: 10.5152/TurkArchPediatr.2023.23113
Read: 949 Downloads: 497 Published: 22 September 2023

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSE) and breastfeeding success (BFS) on infants’ weight gain rates and breastfeeding outcomes.

Materials and Methods: Mothers were evaluated within the postpartum 72 hours with “Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale—Short Form (BSES-SF)” and “LATCH Scale.” After 6 months, the mothers were called to learn the exclusive breastfeeding (EB) duration and the weight of the infants.

Results: Two hundred mother–infant couples were enrolled, 176 (88%) of them could be reached in the sixth month. The BSES-SF scores were positively correlated with LATCH scores (P = .0001). The EB rate in the sixth month was positively correlated with BFS but not correlated with BSE (r, P = .218, .004; .79, .297, respectively). The percentage of weight gain and the rate of weight percentile change of babies according to birth weight at the sixth month of age were negatively correlated with BSE (r = −0.226, −0.148, P = .003, .049, respectively) but not correlated with BFS.

Conclusion: Higher BFS was associated with increased duration of EB in the first 6 months of life, and higher BSE was related to lower increase in the percentage of weight gain and a lower rate of weight percentile change of babies at 6 months of age.

Cite this article as: Güneş AO, Karadağ N, Karatekin G. The effect of breastfeeding self-efficacy on infants’ weights and breastfeeding outcomes. Turk Arch Pediatr. 2023;58(6):588-593.

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