Breastfeeding self-efficacy in adult women and its relationship with exclusive maternal breastfeeding.
Juliana Cristina Dos Santos Monteiro, Carolina Maria de Sá Guimarães, Luciana Camargo de Oliveira Melo and 1 others
PMID 33027402WHAT IT FOUND
Breastfeeding confidence did not predict exclusive breastfeeding duration at 30, 60, or 180 days.
Vaginal delivery and no postpartum complications were linked to higher confidence; religion was linked to exclusive breastfeeding at 30 and 60 days, and help with baby care at 60 days.
Key findings
01Breastfeeding self-efficacy was not associated with exclusive breastfeeding duration at 30, 60, or 180 days postpartum.
02Higher breastfeeding self-efficacy was associated with vaginal delivery and with no postpartum complications.
03Exclusive breastfeeding at 30 and 60 days was associated with having a religion, and at 60 days with help with baby care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Self-efficacy was measured only once, in the maternity ward, not at 30, 60, or 180 days, so the study cannot show how confidence changed after discharge. Follow-up was by telephone, and women who could not be reached after up to three attempts were excluded, so the reported breastfeeding durations may not represent all participants. Only one woman had low self-efficacy, so the low self-efficacy group is too small to interpret. The study was done in one BFHI-accredited maternity setting, and the authors suggest hospital breastfeeding practices may have influenced answers. The paper is observational and tested no intervention, so associations do not show that changing self-efficacy, delivery type, complications, religion, or baby-care help will change breastfeeding duration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat breastfeeding self-efficacy as a predictor of exclusive breastfeeding duration or as a target that will extend breastfeeding. The study found no statistically significant association between self-efficacy and exclusive breastfeeding at 30, 60, or 180 days, and it tested no intervention.