Postpartum maternal function and parenting stress: Comparison by feeding methods

• Published in: International journal of nursing practice 2017-06, Vol.23 (S1), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Maehara, Kunie, Mori, Emi, Iwata, Hiroko, Sakajo, Akiko, Aoki, Kyoko, Morita, Akiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Babies; Bottle Feeding; Breast Feeding; breastfeeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Fatigue; Female; Health promotion; Humans; Infant; infant feeding methods; Infant Formula; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Japan; Japanese language; Knowledge base; Longitudinal Studies; Maternal and infant welfare; Maternal stress; Medical personnel; Methods; Mothers; Nursing; Parental stress; Parenting - psychology; Parents & parenting; Postpartum period; primiparous mothers; Puerperal Disorders - epidemiology; Questionnaires; Sleep; Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 1322-7114; 1440-172X
• DOI: 10.1111/ijn.12549

Aim This cross‐sectional and longitudinal study explored primiparous mothers' functioning and parenting stress on the basis of infant‐feeding method over the first 6 months postpartum. Methods Participants were Japanese primiparae who delivered live singleton infants (N = 1120). Questionnaires, completed at 1, 2, 4, and 6 months postpartum, included demographics, feeding method, frequency of feedings, time required from infant's feeding to falling asleep, mother's sleep time, Postnatal Accumulated Fatigue Scale, and the original Japanese version of Parenting Stress Short‐Form Scale. Chi‐square tests and Welch F tests for one‐way analysis of variance were conducted. Results Exclusively breastfeeding mothers fed their infants more frequently, but required less time from infant's feeding to falling asleep than either mixed or formula‐feeding mothers. Mixed feeding mothers required more time for infant feeding and reported more severe fatigue and greater parenting stress than breastfeeding mothers at 1 and 2 months postpartum. Exclusively formula‐feeding mothers required more time to get their infant back to sleep and reported greater parenting stress than the other groups at 6 months postpartum. Nearly 25% of mothers continued breastfeeding exclusively through the first 6 months postpartum. Mothers often changed feeding methods, with many exclusively breastfeeding by 6 months. Conclusion Feeding methods may affect maternal functioning and parenting stress across the postpartum period. SUMMARY STATEMENT What is already known about this topic? Although most first‐time Japanese mothers desire to exclusively breastfeed, common beliefs suggest that formula supplementation makes an infant sleep more, thereby increasing mothers' sleep. However, there are few studies examining the impact of feeding methods (breastfeeding, mixed, and formula) on maternal daily functioning and parenting stress during the first 6 months postpartum. What this paper adds? This study adds to the knowledge base about the effects of feeding methods on maternal functioning, sleep, and parenting stress across the first 6 months postpartum. The implications of this paper: The findings provide data‐based information for health professionals and for first‐time mothers regarding the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding.