Fear of Childbirth and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and Predictors of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Among Turkish Pregnant Women

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the fear of childbirth (FOC) and prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy, the factors affecting them, and the factors that predict breastfeeding self-efficacy among Turkish pregnant women. Methods: The research was of a descriptive and cross-sectional type. The study was conducted with 228 pregnant women who came to the obstetrics outpatients’ department at 28-40 weeks of gestation. Data were collected using an Individual Description Form, the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Scale (W-DEQ), and the Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (PBSES). Results: The mean age of the pregnant women was 28.09±4.29. The W-DEQ scores of the pregnant women were 66.50±11.38, and their PBSES scores were 63.71±4.43. More than half of the pregnant women (59.1%) experienced severe and clinical FOC. Prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy was significantly lower in pregnant women with severe and clinical FOC compared with those with mild and moderate FOC (p