COMPARISON OF BREASTFEEDING SELF-EFFICACY AMONG MOTHERS OF HOSPITALIZED AND NON-HOSPITALIZED NEWBORN, DURING THE FIRST WEEK, THE FIRST MONTH AND THE THIRD MONTH AFTER CHILDBIRTH

Background & Aims: Breast milk is the best food for all neonates. Self-efficacy includes the belief and confidence of the individual in his ability to perform health behaviors, including exclusive successful breastfeeding. Self-efficacy in breastfeeding is vital for breastfeeding continuation. In addition, self-efficacy is an important variable in predicting the duration of breastfeeding, as well as the identification of mothers who terminate their breastfeeding promptly. The aim of this study was to compare Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy in mothers with infants admitted in the neonatal ward and mothers with healthy infants in the first week, the first month and third month after delivery. Materials & Methods: This present descriptive study has been performed in Isabn-E-Maryam Hospital. The number of individuals in each group of mothers with infants admitted in the neonatal ward and mothers with healthy infants was 49 who met the criteria for entering the study. Convenience sampling was used for the selection of the participants. The data were collected by a two-part questionnaire. Demographic data were collected in the first part of the questionnaire and the Dennis Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short form was the second part of the questionnaire. To analyze the data, independent t-test, co-variance and variance with repeated observations were used and data were analyzed using SPSS-18 software. In the hospitalized group, most neonates were admitted because of pathological jaundice.   Results: The two groups of mothers with infants admitted in the neonatal ward and mothers with healthy infants were homogeneous. In both groups, mother’s Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy average was more than 52.22 which indicated a good attitude of mothers and showed that mothers were in favorable condition. In the hospitalized neonates’ group, most neonates were admitted because of pathological jaundice. The mean of Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy scores of mothers and Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy was not significantly different between the two groups at any time and in any of the three times between two groups (P> 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, although Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy in two groups of mothers was not significantly varied at different postpartum intervals, Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy of mothers with infants who were admitted to the newborns was lower than those mothers whose babies was healthy, which may be due to the mental and environmental conditions of the mothers following the admission of the newborn babies. The Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy in the group of mothers with a healthy baby also declined during the three months after delivery, which calls for continued education and support for mothers in the promotion of breastfeeding.