title: Effect of natural-feeding education on successful exclusive breast-feeding and breast-feeding self-efficacy of low-birth-weight infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ideal nourishment for newborns with low birth-weight is breast milk. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of natural-feeding education given to mothers of low-birth-weight infants, on the mothers' breast-feeding self-efficacy level, breast-feeding success, and the growth of the infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in a quasi-experimental way. The study group consisted of a total of 85 low-birth-weight infants and their mothers who had been treated in the neonatal clinics of two hospitals. The mothers included in the test group were given breast-feeding education for half an hour per day, during the first 5 days of their hospitalization. Home visits were carried out at the homes of the participants from both the test and control groups, until the infants reached 6 months of age. For collecting data, the following forms were used: Personal Information Form, Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy Form, LATCH Breast-feeding Assessment Tool, and Anthropometric Measurements Form. For analyzing the collected data, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and chi-square we used, and, in independent groups, t-tests were employed. Findings : It was determined that natural-feeding education given to the mothers increases their breast-feeding self-efficacy levels and success in breast-feeding (P<0.05). It was found that in the test group, the rate of feeding the infants exclusively with breast milk is higher in comparison with the control group (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of the study indicate that natural-feeding education increases breast-feeding self-efficacy levels, breast-feeding success, and the breast-feeding duration.
authors: Ataturk University, School of Nursing, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors: Sibel
authors: S
authors: Küçükoğlu
authors: Ataturk University, School of Nursing, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors: Ayda
authors: A
authors: Çelebioğlu
keywords: Breast Feeding; Growth; Infant; Low Birth Weight; Neonate; Nursing; Self Efficacy