Information, attitudes and behaviors of mothers about breastfeeding behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic process

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, besides the factors affecting breastfeeding, such as the tendency to breastfeed, the number of children, educational status, maternal age, working style, it was investigated how the breastfeeding behavior was affected during the epidemic. Methods: At least 384 mothers were included in the study with a 95% confidence level, 0.05 margin of error, and 403 mothers were included in the study. A questionnaire form prepared by the researchers was used as a data collection tool and consent form was obtained from the participants. Results: The mean age of the mothers participating in the study was 29.2 ± 5.9 years (range:18 to 52 years). Two hundred and one (49.8%) mothers participating in the study do not find it safe for mothers with COVID-19 to breastfeed their baby. However, only 20.2% of mothers think that COVID-19 can be transmitted to the baby through breast milk. Ninety-eight (24.4%) mothers stated that they could breastfeed their babies even if they had COVID-19, and 15.5% stated that mothers with COVID-19 around them could breastfeed their babies. Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 epidemic had a negative impact on all aspects of life globally, it did not generally change the breastfeeding decisions of breastfeeding mothers. In fact, due to the closures and extended maternity leave, mothers spent more time with their babies and enabled them to breastfeed more frequently. However, it should not be neglected that misinformation is at a substantial level. In the studies conducted, wrong or incomplete information was observed in a significant part of the mothers who did not consider breastfeeding due to the epidemic, although the rates were low. For this reason, besides health professionals, media organs should be actively used for information.