THE ANXIETY LEVELS OF MOTHERS WHO DID AND DID NOT EXPERIENCE A LACTATION CRISIS

Abstract

A number of factors are effective in the formation of mother’s milk as well as oxitocine and prolactin hormones. In some cases certain mother’s milk can be partly or completely cut down because their milk formation is affected. These instances are generally problems related to the mother or the infant and cause anxiety for the mother. Our study was planned descriptively to determine the anxiety levels of mothers who were in normal lactation and lactation crisis.The sampling of the research comprised of 15 mothers who breastfeed their babies and 15 mothers who were in lactation crisis and whose milk was partly or completely cut down. A questionnaire that included the introductory features of mothers and children and a “Case Situation-Constance Anxiety Inventory (STAI)” developed and the data obtained were assessed by using percentage, chi-square, mean and Mann-Whitney U test. In both groups the age of mothers, their levels of education, social security, total number of pregnancy and number of children were similar and a statistical difference was not found among them (p> 0.05). The level of situation and constant anxiety scores were similar in each group and between groups and a statistical difference was not found between them (p> 0.05). A difference was not found between anxiety levels of mothers who did and didn’t experience a lactation crisis. Nurses should use approaches that will reduce the anxiety of mothers who stay in Newborn Intensive Care Unit and will support their coping skills during this period.