The influence of structured prenatal education on the use of specialist lactation counseling in case of difficulties.

Abstract

Objective: Introduction: Breastfeeding is the optimal way to nourish newborns and infants. According to the PTGHiŻDz, ESPGHAN and AAP, exclusive breastfeeding should be sought for the first 6 months of life. Aim: To analyse the relationship between participation in prenatal education and the frequency to intend and then continue breastfeeding in the first 6 months of a child's life. To assess the impact of participation in prenatal education on women's use of specialist lactation counselling.

Patients and methods: Material and methods: The study was conducted in the period from May 2013 to June 2014 at the Specialist Hospital of St. Sophia in Warsaw. It included 333 women in the maternity ward. The study group consisted of 244 women who participated in structured prenatal education classes in group form. The control group numbered 89 women who did not participate in prenatal education either in one-to-one or group form. The first stage of the study was carried out among women 48 hours after childbirth. In the second stage of the study, a questionnaire was sent to women in electronic form, not earlier than one day after the child was 6 months old.

Results: Results: The variables that differentiated the groups studied were: education, place of residence, professional activity before pregnancy and professional activity during pregnancy longer than 27 weeks. The intention to take up exclusive breastfeeding expressed 48 hours after childbirth was declared by 94.7% of the women from the study group and 86.5% of the women from the control group (p=0.024). Breastfeeding was the most common difficulty reported by women during their stay in hospital (39.3% vs. 38.2% p=0.85) and during the first 6 months after childbirth (19.8% vs. 7.1% p=0.11). In case of difficulties in the course of childbirth, the women from the study group who used specialised lactation counselling accounted for 12.7%. No woman from the control group benefited from this type of care.

Conclusion: Conclusions: Participation in structured prenatal education is a factor influencing the frequency of intending to breastfeed. Women after a cycle of structured prenatal education classes are more likely to take advantage of lactation counselling at a specialist level. Structured prenatal education has no influence on the subjective assessment of women concerning the practical application of the knowledge concerning breastfeeding.