Document Type

Capstone

Abstract

Breastfeeding and post-partum mental health can impact the bond and quality of life for mothers, especially first-time mothers and their infants. As mothers try to juggle the occupation of breastfeeding, it can become very overwhelming with the role of parenting. Transitioning from hospital to home reduces the amount of direct support and direct access to instruction on breastfeeding and maternal well postpartum. This creates a need for an occupational therapy based breastfeeding wellness program. An occupational therapy based breastfeeding wellness program will be beneficial as it will be client-centered with a focus on quality of life. To combat the issue with longevity and mental health concerns among breastfeeding mothers, a virtual presentation was created and presented to women and mothers in the local area. Objectives of the presentation included a focus on mothers and maternal medical providers gaining an understanding of the positive impacts breastfeeding support can have on mothers, learning how an OT-based breastfeeding wellness program can support the mother infant dyad and increase longevity, provide breastfeeding education, increasing knowledge and awareness about mental health support, nutrition education and the importance of self-care. A total of 19 participants attended the virtual presentation and were given pre- and post-surveys to complete before and after the presentation. The surveys included ten questions based on a five-point Likert scale to allow for a faster interpretation of the quantitative data. The pre-survey contained an additional four questions to collect the participants' demographic information. Overall, the data gathered demonstrated a 45% increase in knowledge from participants regarding the overall knowledge about OT, an OT-based breastfeeding wellness program, the four pillars of support, negative impacts without support, and the impact of longevity and mental health on the mother. In addition, the virtual presentation was successful in increasing the knowledge and understanding regarding the OT-based breastfeeding wellness program and the role of OT with a focus on wellness.

Publication Date

4-2024

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