Postcesarean Difficulties and their Association with Breastfeeding Success in Postpartum Women

The rate of cesarean section (CS) has been gradually increasing throughout the world. The impact of CS on the issue of breastfeeding success therefore merits attention.

This study investigates postcesarean difficulties and their association with breastfeeding success.

This study is a cross-sectional study involving the participation of 220 mothers who were receiving care at the Women's Health Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey between the dates of February 10 and August 10 of 2016. Data were collected using the Socio-demographic and Obstetric Characteristics Form and the LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (LBAT).

Women who had breastfeeding problems both previously (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.18-1.76; P = 0.004) and currently (OR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.14-1.30; P < 0.001) were more likely to have low breastfeeding success scores. There was no statistically significant relationship found between LBAT mean scores and other post-CS difficulties. Women aged 35 and older were more likely to have breastfeeding success compared to that of women of ≤19 years of age (OR = 4.33; 95% CI: 3.50-4.45; P = 0.051). Furthermore, women who had breastfeeding experience were more likely (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.40-2.67; P = 0.010) to have a high breastfeeding success score.

This study has revealed that breastfeeding success was associated more with breastfeeding problems than with other difficulties experienced after a CS. To prevent breastfeeding problems before they occur, newborns who are without complications should be kept in skin-to-skin contact (SSC) with their mothers immediately after the CS, breastfed within the first 1 hour after birth, and remain in SSC until the end of the first breastfeeding. Most importantly, to increase breastfeeding success after CS, creative staffing solutions need to be employed.