Mothers'Breastfeeding-Related Durations and Nursing Management During the Early Postpartum Period in a Mixed Hospital Ward with an Obstetrics Department: A Prospective Observational Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to quantify duration of in-hospital breastfeeding (BF)-related activities in mothers after childbirth in a mixed ward-type hospital with an obstetrics department in Japan (hereafter, mixed ward).

Methods: Twenty-two postpartum mothers (primiparous and multiparous) who had vaginal delivery in a mixed ward were instructed to wear radio beacons. A smartphone was placed in the BF room and detected the presence of a nearby beacon, 24 hours daily, measuring the number of hours a mother spent in the nursing room (defined as BF time [hereafter, BF-related duration]). BF-related duration included time spent for BF, diaper changes before and after BF, bottle feeding, and support from nurses. BF-related total hours during postpartum hospitalization were calculated. The effects of parity and each postpartum day number (postpartum days 1-4) on Daily BF-related duration were determined.

Results: Percentage of total postpartum hospitalization time spent for BF-related duration was 21.6% and 19.9% for primiparous and multiparous mothers, respectively, with no significant difference between groups. BF-related duration was significantly different between parity group and postpartum day, with peaks on postpartum day 4 (387.7 minutes) and day 2 (318.0 minutes) for primiparous and multiparous groups, respectively. (F = 2.813, p = 0.048).

Conclusion: Mothers spent 20% of their postpartum hospitalization period for BF-related activities. Individual support is necessary, especially for primiparous mothers, who spent more time than multiparous mothers for BF-related activities on postpartum day 4. In a mixed ward, postpartum mothers need a comfortable hospital environment in which midwives can dedicate themselves to mother-child dyad care.