Breastfeeding Attitudes of Puerperal Women and Influencing Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Assessment of mothers' breastfeeding attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic can aid healthcare professionals in planning appropriate breastfeeding counseling. The aim of our study is to assess the breastfeeding attitudes of puerperal women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the related factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 470 postpartum women who delivered in a state hospital in Turkey in 2022. Participants were selected through simple random sampling. RESULTS: The mean score on the Breastfeeding Attitude Evaluation Scale was 101.11 +/- 19.79 (scores range from 0 to 184). Factors that positively influenced breastfeeding attitude included initiating breastfeeding in the first hour after birth (p =.043), planning exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months (p =.004), intending to breastfeed for 24 months or more (p =.008), giving breast milk as the baby's first food (p =.017), believing that a COVID-19-infected mother should breastfeed her baby (p =.000), and not separating a COVID-19-positive mother from her baby (p =.014). Conversely, being a primiparous mother (p =.011) and not believing that breast milk protects the baby from COVID-19 (p =.011) negatively impacted the breastfeeding attitude. CONCLUSION: This study found that postpartum women had positive breastfeeding attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and certain factors influenced these attitudes.