A survey of maternal perceptions of early postpartum care with a focus on a breastfeeding friendly environment

Abstract

A primary activity for the mother-infant dyad in the first hours and days after birth is learning to breastfeed. Unfortunately, many unidentified barriers interfere with the learning process. The purpose of this study was to investigate maternal perceptions of the early postpartum care environment and the factors impacting breastfeeding as an initial step to establishing a breastfeeding friendly environment. Before discharge from the hospital mothers completed the COMFORTS scale, sharing their perceptions of the physical environment and the care they had received. Data were analyzed using frequencies, measures of central tendencies, and descriptive statistics. Independent sample T-tests were run for comparisons between first time breastfeeding mothers and mothers who had previous breastfeeding experience. Maternal perceptions of the postpartum environment and care were very positive.