The effect of midwife's supportive care during labor on exclusive breastfeeding in primipara women

Although some studies have shown that supportive care during labor improves mother's prognosis in relation to infant, no sufficient scientific information have been reported. Thus, the present study was carried out aiming at determining the effect of midwife’s supportive care during labor on exclusive breastfeeding in primipara women in Ommolbanin hospital in Mashhad.

In this clinical trial study, 80 primipara women with the gestational age of 38-42 weeks, a single live fetus with cephalic presentation, intact membranes and cervical dilatation of 3-4 cms, no history of complications during pregnancy, and no evidence of cephalopelvic disproportion or fetal distress were randomly divided into two groups; namely a supportive care group (receiving supportive care) and a usual care group. All mothers recorded the daily frequency of their infants’ breast feeding from birth until six weeks later in a check-list. Means of data collection were interview, examination and measuring, checklist, visual analogue scale, Speilberger anxiety scale, and breastfeeding experience scale. The obtained data was analyzed using t test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-Square and Fisher exact tests.

The frequency of exclusive breastfeeding in the fourth and in the sixth week after birth in the supportive care group was significantly higher than its frequency in the usual care group (P= 0.023 and 0.017, respectively).

A midwife’s supportive care has a positive influence on breastfeeding. Therefore, supportive care is recommended as a strategy to promote exclusive breastfeeding and keeping health of the infant.