Abstract
Aim: Breastfeeding and consumption of breast milk positively affect the health of children and mothers. The goal of this research was an analysis of intention to breastfeed in pregnant women and the impact of selected factors on intention to breastfeed. Design: Cross - sectional study. Methods: Research was conducted involving 176 women in the 5th-9th month of pregnancy. We analyzed their intention to breastfeed using the Infant Feeding Intentions Scale (IFI). Among the analyzed factors we included: socio-demographic variables, smoking during pregnancy, women's attitudes to breastfeeding, and the body image of pregnant women (the Body Image States Scale - BISS). Results: The intention to breastfeed in pregnant women was very high (M = 13.15; SD = 2.6). In the 1st month after birth, 85.2% of women plan to breastfeed to the fullest extent, falling to 77.2% in the 3rd month, and 62.5% in the 6th month. Variables included in linear regression explain 30% of the variation in intention to breastfeed. By hierarchic linear regression, we identified the attitude of husband/partner towards breastfeeding (β = 1.236; p = 0.001), and impact of breastfeeding on women's health (β = 0,354; p = 0,035) and body image (β = 0,497; p = 0,000) as significant independent variables determining the intention to breastfeed. Women's satisfaction with their pregnant body explains 11% of the variation in all analyzed variables. Conclusion: Promoting the health of mothers and their children requires midwives and nurses to perform a range of activities that will engage the husbands/partners of the women, and which will also take account of the body perceptions of pregnant women.
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