Breastfeeding success and its relation to maternal pain, behaviour, mental health, and social support.

SOCIAL participation; PAIN; SOCIAL support; ATTITUDES of mothers; ATTITUDES toward breastfeeding; MEDICINE information services; PAIN measurement; PSYCHOLOGY of mothers; CROSS-sectional method; MENTAL health; MOTHERHOOD; PARENTING; EXPERIENCE; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; HEALTH information services; SELF-efficacy; BREASTFEEDING; DISEASE duration; MEDICAL referrals; MENTAL depression; BREAST; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; INFORMATION-seeking behavior; PAIN catastrophizing; CESAREAN section; PRENATAL care; LOGISTIC regression analysis; LABOR complications (Obstetrics); ANXIETY; SUCCESS; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; EDINBURGH Postnatal Depression Scale

We aimed to understand the maternal experience of breastfeeding onset and how psychological, social and clinical variables as pain during breastfeeding, may interfere with it. A cross-sectional study investigated 395 post-delivery women able to breastfeed from 48 hours to 6 days for unpleasant breastfeeding, maternal stress during pregnancy and postnatal mental state. Social Readjustment Rating Scale evaluated prenatal maternal stress. Perceived Maternal Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale – Parent version, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale evaluated maternal mental state. Unpleasant breastfeeding experience showed to be positively related to the longer number of days the pain lasts; late onset of breastfeeding; less search for information about pregnancy and baby care (p <.01); lower catastrophizing behaviour towards infant´s stress and C-section delivery (p <.04). Pain levels were positively correlated to longer periods of pain, later onset of antenatal consultations and depression (p <.05). Binary logistic regression pointed to the effects of lower self-efficacy and pain in breastfeeding, higher depression levels, gestational stress, labour adversities and success in breastfeeding. The relationship among maternal perceived self-efficacy, anxious and depressive thoughts, catastrophizing behaviours, and unpleasant breastfeeding need to be evaluated to elucidate the best health professional intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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