Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANNALS OF CLINICAL AND ANALYTICAL MEDICINE, sa.6, ss.635-639, 2022 (ESCI)
Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of childbirth fear and anxiety experienced by pregnant patients in the prenatal period on breastfeeding self-efficacy of mothers in the postpartum period. Material and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included pregnant patients at later stages of pregnancy between the 38th and 42nd weeks who had regular pregnancy follow-ups at the Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic in Turkey, who had no problems with pregnancy, had no psychiatric disorders, gave vaginal birth and agreed to participate. Under the physician's supervision, the patients were asked to complete the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to measure fear of childbirth and the Beck Anxiety Inventory to assess their anxiety. In addition, the breastfeeding and breast milk arrival status of the patients were evaluated using Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale on the first day of the postpartum period. Correlations of the obtained data were analyzed with Pearson's or Spearmen's correlation tests. Results: It was observed that the Beck Anxiety Inventory score and VAS score measured in the prenatal period in 211 patients who participated in the study had negative correlations with breastfeeding status of patient in the postpartum period. Based on the results of this study, patients with intense fear of childbirth and patients with high anxiety during the prenatal period had low breastfeeding self-efficacy during the postpartum period. Discussion: It is necessary that pregnant patients with fear of childbirth and with a high level of anxiety should be identified by their physicians during the prenatal follow-ups. Education programs should be organized to meet the needs of the parents, and support groups should be established for these parents. Further studies are needed in this regard.