The effects of pregnant women's breastfeeding myths on their breastfeeding self-efficacy: a cross-sectional study

Background Myths lead to insufficient milk secretion perception and a sense of failure in mothers and are among the most common reasons for cessation of breastfeeding. Previous studies have revealed that women's beliefs in breastfeeding myths are quite common and that some traditional practices are known by all mothers and applied at low rates. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of pregnant women's breastfeeding myths on their breastfeeding self-efficacy. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 483 nulliparous pregnant women in the gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinics of a hospital in the east of T & uuml;rkiye between March 29, 2024, and September 30, 2024. The research data were collected using the Information Form, Breastfeeding Myths Scale, and Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale. The independent samples t-test, variance, Pearson's and Spearman's correlation analysis, and single regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results Pregnant women scored 68.01 +/- 17.72 on average on the BMS, and 98.6% had breastfeeding myths at a low level. Pregnant women scored 75.01 +/- 14.89 on average on the PBSES. The analysis detected a negative and low-level correlation between the BMS and PBSES scores (p < 0.001). Conclusion The study found that pregnant women's breastfeeding self-efficacy decreases with an increase in their breastfeeding myths. Breastfeeding myths explain 23% of the change in breastfeeding self-efficacy.