The effect of maternal fatigue on breastfeeding

Abstract

Background: Postpartum fatigue means tiredness, sense of suffocation, and decreased physical and mental capacity. Fatigue reduces postpartum women's ability of concentrate, which may increase the frequency of postpartum depression, and their babies and cause babies' weaning off breastmilk earlier. Aim: Postpartum fatigue reduces the ability of mothers to concentrate and has a negative effect on communication between mothers and their babies. This study was performed to determine the effect of fatigue on breastfeeding and breastfeeding behaviors in postpartum women. Subjects and Methods: The study had a descriptive desing and was carreid out in a postpartum clinic of a maternal, obstetric, and pediatric diseases hospital. It included 374 women giving normal vaginal birth. Data were gathered with a socio-demographic features form and Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue. Results: The mean score was 6,91 +/- 2,25 for the subscale fatigue and 2,38 +/- 0,91 for the subscale energy. The women reporting that it was not difficult to give birth and that they had little or some fatigue had significantly higher scores for energy (P = 0.001). The women starting to breastfeed in the hour of giving birth (P = 0.003) and the women breastfeeding at 1-hour intervals (P = 0.100) had a lower score for fatigue. The women not needing help while breastfeeding had a significantly lower score for fatigue (P = 0.001), while those reporting to give additional food had a significantly higher score for fatigue (P = 0.014). Conclusion: Women feel tired in the early postpartum period due to giving birth and their tiredness is increased by breastfeeding and infant care.