Does Maternal Quality of Life Influence Breastfeeding Difficulties?

There is extensive evidence for short-term and long-term health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies[1]. However, for some women coping with common breastfeeding problems in early postpartum is a physically and emotionally exhausting task, and they may harbor doubts about the continuation of breastfeeding[2]. A study conducted in Iran has reported that difficulties such as sore nipples or the mother's perception of having insufficient milk were the reasons for the exclusive breastfeeding discontinuation[3]. The mother’s perception and reaction to breastfeeding difficulties are affected by multiple factors, such as psychological and physical health, socio-demographic characteristics, quality of marital relationship and living condition[4]. Quality of life (QOL) is a broad ranging concept that includes all the mentioned aspects[5]. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationships between QOL and breastfeeding difficulties in a sample of mothers from northeast Iran.