Abstract:

Purpose: This study was carried out to identify the effect of postpartum afterpain on breastfeeding self-efficacy. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study. The sample consisted of 376 postnatal women who met the criteria for participation in the study. The participants were administered the Personal Information Form, The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, The Short-Form Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale.  Results: The mean total score received from the breastfeeding self-efficacy by the postpartum women was found to be 36.88±8.54 (min:14, max:70). The mean scores of the sensory and affective pain, total pain intensity, and visual analoque scale were found to be 33.53±4.18 (min:0, max:45), 2.60±1.39 (min:0, max:5), 6.23±1.91 (min:0, max:10), respectively. In this study, the breastfeeding self-efficacy was found to be higher in the women who were 35 years and over, found their social support adequate, planned their current pregnancy, received prenatal care, expressed their willingness to breastfeed, had no breastfeeding problem. The self-efficacy of breastfeeding is low for women who experienced postpartum abdominal pain, who described the frequency of pain as ‘continuous, continuous and constant’, and who stated that they needed analgesia. A statistically significant negative correlation was determined between the postpartum women’s breastfeeding self-efficacy scores and their postpartum afterpain scores. The postpartum women with afterpain were found to have low levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy. Conclusion: Postpartum pain negatively affects breastfeeding self-efficacy. Controlling pain contributes to the effective implementation of the breastfeeding process.