Breastfeeding success and its relation to maternal pain, behaviour, mental health, and social support

ABSTRACT

Objective

We aimed to understand the maternal experience of breastfeeding onset and how psychological, social and clinical variables as pain during breastfeeding, may interfere with it.

Methods

A cross-sectional study investigated 395 post-delivery women able to breastfeed from 48 hours to 6 days for unpleasant breastfeeding, maternal stress during pregnancy and postnatal mental state. Social Readjustment Rating Scale evaluated prenatal maternal stress. Perceived Maternal Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale – Parent version, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale evaluated maternal mental state.

Results

Unpleasant breastfeeding experience showed to be positively related to the longer number of days the pain lasts; late onset of breastfeeding; less search for information about pregnancy and baby care (p < .01); lower catastrophizing behaviour towards infant´s stress and C-section delivery (p < .04). Pain levels were positively correlated to longer periods of pain, later onset of antenatal consultations and depression (p < .05). Binary logistic regression pointed to the effects of lower self-efficacy and pain in breastfeeding, higher depression levels, gestational stress, labour adversities and success in breastfeeding.

Conclusions

The relationship among maternal perceived self-efficacy, anxious and depressive thoughts, catastrophizing behaviours, and unpleasant breastfeeding need to be evaluated to elucidate the best health professional intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• Breastfeeding
• pain
• self-efficacy
• maternal mental health
• catastrophizing behaviour
• nursing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.