The effect of breastfeeding education with grandmothers’ attendance on breastfeeding self-efficacy and infant feeding pattern in Iranian primiparous women: a quasi-experimental pilot study

Abstract

Background One of the most important factors that affects breastfeeding self-efficacy and exclusivity is breastfeeding support provided by the family. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breastfeeding education sessions for primiparous women, with and without the attendance of maternal grandmothers, on breastfeeding self-efficacy and infant feeding patterns. Methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 64 primiparous women who referred to the Antenatal Clinic of Amiralmomenin Hospital, Tehran, Iran from June to December, 2018. Eligible pregnant women were allocated into two groups; either with and without grandmothers in attendance. Group assignments were determined according to the week the women had prenatal care at the hospital. All eligible women seen in the clinic during 1 week were assigned to one group and women who presented in the alternating week were assigned to the other group. In the education group with grandmothers in attendance, each woman participated in two prenatal education programs with her mother and one postpartum program approximately 3 h before discharge. In the other group, participating mothers attended breastfeeding education sessions without the grandmother’s attendance. The participating mothers answered questions from the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) at the time of the hospital discharge, and 4 and 8 weeks after delivery. Questions about the infants’ feeding patterns were asked by telephone contact with the participating mothers from both groups at the same time periods. Results The mean BFSE scores were signficantly different between the groups with grandmothers and without grandmothers at the time of the hospital discharge (60.15 ± 4.47 vs. 56.84 ± 6.22, independent t-test; p = 0.017), and at 4 weeks (61.71 ± 2.66 vs. 56.62 ± 9.12, p = 0.004) and 8 weeks after delivery (63.68 ± 2.14 vs. 60.03 ± 6.32, p = 0.003). No significant difference existed in infant feeding patterns between the groups at the same time periods. Conclusions This study suggests that breastfeeding education with grandmothers’ attendance is effective in improving the mothers’ breastfeeding self-efficacy. A family-centered program should be considered in beastfeeding education for increasing of exclusive breastfeeding.

Improving Breastfeeding Rates: Evolutionary Anthropological Insights for Public Health

“…These key arguments stemming from an evolutionary anthropological approach is clearly complementary to a general public health approach, and in line with previous findings such as the higher rates of breastfeeding in lower-income populations (due to greater marginal gains in child health from breastfeeding) (Roberts et al, 2013), lower rates of breastfeeding among mothers who return to work (due to increased opportunity costs of breastfeeding) (Batan et al, 2013;Dinour & Szaro, 2017), and the importance of friends, family and healthcare professionals in supporting maternal breastfeeding (due to transmission of breastfeeding skill and knowledge, as well as instilling breastfeeding confidence) (Abbass-Dick et al, 2019;Chang et al, 2021;Davidson & Ollerton, 2020;Emmott et al, 2020a;Gharaei et al, 2020;McLeish et al, 2021;Ramani et al, 2019). However, the key strength of an evolutionary approach is that it provides a strong, unifying theoretical framework to understand behavioural variation between individuals and across socio-ecological contexts.…”

“…Of course, the individual-level "knowledge barriers" to breastfeeding are throughout to be driven by proximal and distal socio-ecological factors. Within the microsystem, partner and family attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour around infant feeding has consistently been found to influence maternal breastfeeding practices across populations (Abbass-Dick et al, 2019;Chang et al, 2021;Emmott et al, 2020a;Gharaei et al, 2020;Ramani et al, 2019). A recent systematic review of family members' views on breastfeeding suggests that, in many contexts, partners and grandmothers may not have up-to-date knowledge on breastfeeding and safe infant feeding practices, which in turn hinder maternal breastfeeding through ineffective or inappropriate support and advice (Chang et al, 2021).…”

“…However, studies also show how family and friends can be crucial sources of support for breastfeeding mothers. For example, when family members are involved in receiving breastfeeding education with the mother, thereby empowering the wider family with breastfeeding knowledge, mothers may feel more confident about breastfeeding and breastfeed for longer (Abbass-Dick et al, 2019;Gharaei et al, 2020). In the UK, mothers who breastfed for longer were much more likely to report an extensive support network around them (Emmott et al, 2020a), suggesting that a wide range of supporters around the mother may facilitate breastfeeding.…”

Comparing the effects of breastfeeding in the laid-back and cradle position upon the experiences of primiparous women: a parallel randomized clinical trial

“…Negative breastfeeding experiences are an important risk factor for why breastfeeding may end early [ 50 ]. Breastfeeding problems can end breastfeeding earlier than planned [ 51 ], and previous breastfeeding experience can influence the breastfeeding of future children [ 52 – 54 ]. Previous positive breastfeeding experiences in particular can increase self-confidence and self-efficacy for breastfeeding subsequent children [ 55 ].…”

Breastfeeding Self-Efficcacy pada Ibu Hamil Trimester III Hingga Menyusui

“…Hal ini sejalan dengan penelitian Gharaei, et al (2020) yang menyebutkan bahwa BFSE diperkirakan dipengaruhi oleh empat faktor utama: pengamatan ibu menyusui lainnya, persepsi ibu tentang dukungan untuk menyusui, pengalaman menyusui sebelumnya, dan respons fisiologis seperti kelelahan, ketakutan, dan kecemasan.. Studi menunjukkan bahwa salah satu faktor terpenting yang memengaruhi permulaan laktasi dan BFSE adalah dukungan menyusui oleh keluarga selama periode awal postpartum. Jika anggota keluarga memiliki pengetahuan dan pengalaman yang tepat dalam menyusui, mereka akan memainkan peran suportif yang efisien dalam usaha ibu untuk menyusui (Gharaei, et al, 2020).…”