The Effect of Telephone Breastfeeding Support on Breastfeeding Outcomes for Mothers of Late Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Study
Ezgi Boz, Arzu AkcanBackground:
Mothers of late preterm infants need support with breastfeeding.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Telephone Breastfeeding Support (delivered via telephone calls and WhatsApp messages) given to mothers of late preterm infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on breastfeeding outcomes.
Methods:
The study was a single-blind, pretest–posttest, randomized, parallel two-group, controlled experimental study. The study involved 62 mothers in a NICU from August 2021 to August 2022. After all late preterm infants participating in the study completed their routine discharge procedures, pre-intervention data were collected from their mothers, and a breastfeeding guide was sent to their phones. The intervention group (
Results:
When the infant reached 6 months, no statistically significant differences were found in inter- or intra-group BSES-SF scores, nor in inter-group IIFAS scores (
Conclusion:
Telephone breastfeeding support has been shown to improve infant feeding attitudes and increase breastfeeding maintenance. Telephone breastfeeding support can be safely implemented for mothers of late preterm infants.