Date of Paper/Work
2011
Type of Paper/Work
Scholarly project
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Nursing
Department
Nursing
Advisor
LaVonne Moore
Abstract
The benefits of breastfeeding are becoming widely recognized. The majority of women believe breast milk to be the optimal food for infants. This is evidenced by the high initiation rates. Despite the high initiation rate, there is a significant drop off rate after the women go home from the hospital (Bernaix, Beaman, Schmidt, Harris, & Miller, 2010). This decline suggests that new mothers have been given the information, but not the tools to be successful. The steep drop off in breastfeeding rates during the first few weeks of the infant’s life represents a gap in breastfeeding education. Women need more than information. They need the tools to be successful. This starts prenatally before the baby is born.
A strong sense of self-efficacy encourages individuals to engage themselves fully in the activity, to endure hardships and setbacks. Someone with high self-efficacy will be determined to succeed despite failed attempts. Many women report issues with breastfeeding in the initial months postpartum (Dennis 1999). This illustrates why early breastfeeding education prenatally is of great importance.
The purpose of this project is to create, implement and evaluate a curriculum for breastfeeding education that will increase a woman’s self-efficacy.
Recommended Citation
Eidman, Cherste K.. (2011). Enhancing Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy through Prenatal Education. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/ma_nursing/31