The Benefits of Prenatal Education Program on Maternal Breastfeeding Initiation

Breastfeeding has been recognized by numerous national organizations as the leading choice of sustenance for infants in their first six months (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). It has been found that infants who breastfeed have decreased mortality rates, infections, and have fewer allergies (AAP, 2019). Despite the overwhelming advantages of breastfeeding infants, Healthy People 2030 released a baseline that only about a quarter of mothers exclusively breastfed their infants throughout the six-month period. Numerous studies have been conducted, based on these statistics, to find a solution to increase the number of mothers initiating breastfeeding and prolonging its duration. Through multiple studies, similar conclusions were found that prenatal education programs provided mothers with the education and self-efficacy to initiate and increase the breastfeeding period.