Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and Infant and Young Child Feeding Practice Three Months Postpartum

Breastfeeding benefits both mother and newborn and plays a significant role in controlling chronic diseases. Fathers' breastfeeding attitude and paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, which means that their ability to help their partner breastfeed the newborn, appear to be among the factors that affect women’s breastfeeding.

This correlational descriptive study investigates paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy and its relationship with Infant and young child feeding practice three months postpartum.

This study was performed in 2019 on 206 fathers. Fathers waited for the mother and baby outside the postpartum ward and filled out the paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy scale and demographic information questionnaire in the hospital. Three months after delivery, mothers were called and asked about Infant and young child feeding practices. The SPSS software version 23 was used for statistical analysis by the Spearman’s test, independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, chi-squared test, and analysis of variance.

In the present study, 5.8% of Iranian children used formula feeding at three months of age, 74.3% were exclusively breastfed, and 19.9% received both formula feeding and breast milk. Fathers who participated in antenatal classes had a higher paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy score than the others (P = 0.003). The results showed a significant relationship between paternal cooperation in prenatal care and paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy score (P = 0.001). No correlation was found between paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy scores and infant feeding practices three months after delivery (P = 0.99).

Fathers' attendance in antenatal classes and paternal cooperation in prenatal care can increase paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy.