Abstract
Objective
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of
episiotomy applied in vaginal delivery on breastfeeding self-efficacy and
mother-infant attachment in the postpartum period.
Methods
This descriptive study includes 110 puerperal women
who were registered in 3 family health centers in a district in Istanbul
between July and December 2022 and had a vaginal delivery. Data was
collected using a descriptive information form, maternal bonding scale and
postpartum breastfeeding self-efficacy scale.
Results
The mean age of the participants was 30.04±5.13
years. 61.9% of the puerperal women were multiparous, the mean gestational
age at delivery was 39±1.21 weeks, and 72.7% had an episiotomy at delivery.
There was a statistically significant correlation between the number of
deliveries, having problems during labor, and episiotomy application
(p=0.005, p=0.044). There was no statistically significant difference
between the maternal bonding scale scores and postpartumbreastfeeding
self-efficacy scale scores of women who underwent episiotomy at delivery and
women who did not.
Conclusion
Episiotomy alone had no effect on maternal
bonding and postpartum breastfeeding self-efficacy, and episiotomy-induced
pain was found to be an effective factor in the postpartum period.
Keywords
Bonding - Postpartum - Episiotomy - Self-efficacy - Breast feeding
