Determination of the Relationship Between Mothers’ Perception of Birth and Breastfeeding Success in Turkey: An Observational Cross-sectional Study

Objective:To investigate the relationship between birth mothers’ perceptions of their birth experiences and postpartum breastfeeding success. Method:The sample of this descriptive and observational study consisted of mothers who underwent either vaginal delivery or unplanned cesarean section in a maternity hospital in Ankara between April 1, 2022 and May 1, 2022. The data were collected using a “socio-demographic form”, “mother’s perception of birth scale (MPBS)” and “LATCH-breastfeeding diagnosis and assessment scale (LATCH)” via face-to-face interview technique. Results:The study included 350 mothers with a mean age of 30.10±3.85 years. It was found that 45.1% of mothers had high school education, 81.1% were unemployed, 80.9% lived in the province, and 74.9% had a nuclear family structure. It was determined that 53.1% of mothers had planned pregnancies, 49.7% had spontaneous vaginal delivery, 91.4% had no problems with breastfeeding in previous births, and 63.4% did not participate in antenatal education. The mean total score of the MPBS was 82.36±10.39 and, the mean total score of the LATCH-breastfeeding diagnosis and assessment scale was 7.26±2.23. A weak negative relationship was found between the MPCS and LATCH total scores (r=-0.131, p=0.014). A moderate negative correlation was found between the total score of the LATCH scale and the mean score of experiences during the labor subdimensions of the MPBS (p=0.254, r=-0.61). Conclusion:The mothers’ experiences at birth were positive, and breastfeeding success increased as positive experiences during the postpartum period increased.