The Effect of Antenatal Education on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy: Primiparous Women in Turkey

Background: Breastfeeding self-efficacy is a modifiable factor that can increase breastfeeding success and duration. Breastfeeding support programmes help to improve self-efficacy and to facilitate a longer duration of breastfeeding. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of antenatal breastfeeding education on breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeeding success. Methodology: This was an intervention study. The study was carried out in 6 family health centers (FHC) in Eskisehir. There were a total of 90 research subjects. We divided the participants into the following two groups: an intervention group (n=45) and a control group (n=45). The researchers provided breastfeeding education to the intervention group to develop breastfeeding self-efficacy. We evaluated breastfeeding self-efficacy at 1, 4, and 8 weeks postnatally and breastfeeding success at 1 and 8 weeks postnatally. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in the mean antenatal BSES-SF scores. However, there was a significant difference between the groups in the mean BSES-SF scores at 1, 4 and 8 weeks postpartum, with higher scores in the intervention group at these time points. At 1 and 8 weeks postpartum, the intervention group had a significantly higher rate of breastfeeding success than the control group. Conclusions: This study concluded that antenatal breastfeeding education and support were given to pregnant women/mothers from the prenatal period to the postnatal period increases breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeeding success. Nurses who provide breastfeeding education should be informed about breastfeeding selfefficacy. Nurses should attempt to employ breastfeeding self-efficacy into breastfeeding education.