Institutional Educational and Support Intervention in Breastfeeding in a Postnatal Unit in Spain: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study
- 1Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Facultad de Medicina, Enfermería y Fisioterapia, Universidad de Córdoba, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
- 2Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
- 3SALBIS Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Campus de Ponferrada, Universidad de León, 24401 León, Spain
Abstract
Background/Objectives: There is international consensus that breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for newborns. Many studies demonstrate the effectiveness of educational interventions in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of an educational and support intervention in breastfeeding by a lead midwife on the postnatal ward. Methods: A retrospective quasi-experimental pre-post study complemented by a supplementary descriptive survey was conducted at a tertiary hospital in southern Spain with women (N = 136) who expressed a desire to breastfeed their babies. An institutional intervention, consisting of the support provided by a midwife employed exclusively to offer support with breastfeeding for a period of two months, was carried out. An inferential analysis was performed using the corresponding statistics. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify potential confounding variables and determine factors associated with the dependent variable of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months. In addition, a brief institutional survey was conducted among these women after the first 6 months postpartum as a complementary component to the quantitative analysis. Data were obtained from hospital records and from the survey. Results: Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and at two months postpartum was higher in the intervention group than in the control group. The need for supplementary feeding and phototherapy among infants was lower in the intervention group. A higher level of satisfaction with the support received regarding breastfeeding was also observed among mothers in the intervention group (95.7% vs. 63%; p < 0.001). However, we did not detect a between-group difference in exclusive breastfeeding at six months. Conclusions: Availability of support from a breastfeeding specialist midwife in hospital and in the weeks following birth can assist women to exclusively breastfeeding and supports to improve maternal satisfaction.
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BibTeX
@article{hidalgolopezosa2026institutional,
title = {{Institutional Educational and Support Intervention in Breastfeeding in a Postnatal Unit in Spain: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study}},
author = {Pedro Hidalgo-Lopezosa and Patricia Ruz-Cea and Laura Moreno-Domínguez and Laetitia Emmanuelle Crosse and Cristina Quirós-Córdoba and Rubén García-Fernández and Pablo Jesús López-Soto and Inmaculada Ortiz-Esquinas},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213702},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3702},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Institutional Educational and Support Intervention in Breastfeeding in a Postnatal Unit in Spain: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study
AU - Pedro Hidalgo-Lopezosa
AU - Patricia Ruz-Cea
AU - Laura Moreno-Domínguez
AU - Laetitia Emmanuelle Crosse
AU - Cristina Quirós-Córdoba
AU - Rubén García-Fernández
AU - Pablo Jesús López-Soto
AU - Inmaculada Ortiz-Esquinas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/08
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213702
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3702
AB - Background/Objectives: There is international consensus that breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for newborns. Many studies demonstrate the effectiveness of educational interventions in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of an educational and support intervention in breastfeeding by a lead midwife on the postnatal ward. Methods: A retrospective quasi-experimental pre-post study complemented by a supplementary descriptive survey was conducted at a tertiary hospital in southern Spain with women (N = 136) who expressed a desire to breastfeed their babies. An institutional intervention, consisting of the support provided by a midwife employed exclusively to offer support with breastfeeding for a period of two months, was carried out. An inferential analysis was performed using the corresponding statistics. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify potential confounding variables and determine factors associated with the dependent variable of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months. In addition, a brief institutional survey was conducted among these women after the first 6 months postpartum as a complementary component to the quantitative analysis. Data were obtained from hospital records and from the survey. Results: Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and at two months postpartum was higher in the intervention group than in the control group. The need for supplementary feeding and phototherapy among infants was lower in the intervention group. A higher level of satisfaction with the support received regarding breastfeeding was also observed among mothers in the intervention group (95.7% vs. 63%; p < 0.001). However, we did not detect a between-group difference in exclusive breastfeeding at six months. Conclusions: Availability of support from a breastfeeding specialist midwife in hospital and in the weeks following birth can assist women to exclusively breastfeeding and supports to improve maternal satisfaction.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -