تاثیر مشاوره شیردهی برخودکارآمدی وتداوم شیردهی مادران نخست زا: یک مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی

Introduction: Breastfeeding is one of the most important factors in ensuring the&nbsp;health of infants. Self-efficacy of mothers is effective on promotion and continuation of&nbsp;breastfeeding. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lactation counseling on&nbsp;self-efficacy and continuation of breast-feeding in primiparous mothers. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial. In this study, 104 qualified primiparous&nbsp;women, after vaginal delivery, were randomly assigned to two intervention and control&nbsp;groups. Before the consultation, a questionnaire including demographic characteristics,&nbsp;self-efficacy in breastfeeding, and continuation of Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF), was&nbsp;completed by both groups. Four weekly sessions per month and three monthly telephone&nbsp;follow-ups were conducted for the intervention group. While the control group received&nbsp;only routine care. After the fourth month of delivery, the two groups were re-examined.&nbsp;Data was analyzed using the independent t-test, paired t test and Chi-square test. Results: The two groups had no significant differences in demographic variables. Before&nbsp;the intervention, there was no significant difference in self-efficacy of breastfeeding&nbsp;between intervention 38.139 &plusmn; 41.11 and control 90.137 &plusmn; 10.11 groups. While after the&nbsp;intervention, there was a significant difference in self-efficacy of breastfeeding between the&nbsp;intervention 13.156 &plusmn; 92.6 and control 15.101 &plusmn; 11.18 groups (P < 0.001). Also EBF at&nbsp;four months showed statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.03). Conclusions: With regards to the role of consulting on self-efficacy and breastfeeding&nbsp;continuation, it is suggested for this consultation to take place in hospitals.