The Effect of Nipple Length and Diameter on Mothers' Breastfeeding Success and Perception of Self-Efficacy
Project no. 21876 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2021
Summary
<p><strong>Aim:</strong> The study was conducted to determine the effect of pre-and postnatal nipple length and diameter on breastfeeding success and breastfeeding self-efficacy perception of mothers giving birth for the first time, and to determine the critical limit point of nipple length and diameter that facilitates breastfeeding success.</p><p><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> The study was analytical and cross-sectional, and its sample consisted of mothers (n=73) who had a normal delivery in the Travay Birth Postpartum unit of a training and research hospital and met the sampling criteria. Introductory Information Form, Nipple Length Measurement Material, Nipple Diameter Measurement Material, Antenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale, LATCH Breastfeeding Diagnostic Measurement Tool, and Postnatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale were used in the study. This study was supported by Ege University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (Project Number: TGA-2021-21876).</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> A significant relationship was found between mothers' nipple length and their perceptions of postpartum breastfeeding self-efficacy, and between nipple length and diameter and postpartum LATCH breastfeeding success. There was a significant difference between the prenatal, postnatal 1st, and 2nd pre-discharge measurements of the nipple length. By ROC analysis, the threshold value for breast length was determined as 9.25 mm with a sensitivity of 91.4%. The threshold value for the diameter was calculated as 13.7 mm, although the predictive ability was not very strong. With this project, for the first time, the nipple “length/diameter” metric was compared with the prenatal, postnatal, and pre-discharge measurements, and a significant difference was found in the measurements.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The nipple length of mothers has an effect on postpartum breastfeeding self-efficacy perception and LATCH breastfeeding success. When we evaluated the length measurement by the ratio of it to the diameter, a statistically significant difference was found in the prenatal, postnatal, and pre-discharge measurements in the length/diameter metric, in which the diameter measurement information is also taken into account, making a new contribution to the literature.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Postpartum, Mother, Nipple, Length, Diameter, Breastfeeding, Self-efficacy, Nursing</p>