Developing effective interactions to improve breastfeeding outcomes.

Abstract

The objective of this replicated research was to assess the effectiveness of antenatal Breastfeeding Workshops (Jamieson 1990) in improving breastfeeding outcomes. It was a longitudinal study using a pre-test/post-test design to evaluate any increase in the confidence, skill and knowledge of women and midwives. The research was carried out in the maternity section of a large Tasmanian teaching hospital. Fifty-six midwives who attended the workshops became the research group with 49 non-attendees as the control. Of the 159 women who indicated an interest in attending, 107 who attended formed the research group, and the remaining 52 were used as the control. The paper is in two parts. The first describes responses from midwives. The results show those midwives who attended a workshop perceived an increase in their confidence level in supporting mothers to breastfeed, altered their perception of those factors most important in successful breastfeeding, and acknowledged that updating of breastfeeding knowledge is necessary on an annual basis. The second part analyses breastfeeding outcomes in respondent women. The results show that women who attended the workshops had a significant increase in confidence levels associated with breastfeeding, and were more likely (p < 0.01) to breastfeed for an extended time even though they experienced difficulties.