ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1633498
This article is part of the Research TopicPublic Health Innovations for Enhancing Newborn and Maternal Well-BeingView all 7 articles
The link between breastfeeding profile and contraceptive use and barriers to breastfeeding: messages from a breastfeeding support center on the need for further strategies to improve breastfeeding
Provisionally accepted
- Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the barriers to breastfeeding in a region with high fertility rates from the perspective of a breastfeeding support center (BSC). The broader aim of the study is to inform policymakers about the need to expand breastfeeding support centers and integrate family planning services (FPCs) into these centers. Methods: Data from 2,714 postpartum mothers from the tertiary hospital affiliated BSC in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye (2020–2024), were analyzed. Group comparisons were made based on contraceptive use, delivery mode, maternal educational level, and seasonal work status. Results: Contraceptive users had significantly better breastfeeding outcomes: The average duration of breastfeeding for previous first-born infants was significantly longer among contraceptive users (16.68 months, 95% CI: 15.10 to 18.26) compared to non-users (11.16 months, 95% CI: 10.02 to 12.30), p < .001.The mean duration of breastfeeding for all surviving children was also longer among contraceptive users (18.82 months, 95% CI: 17.20 to 20.44) versus non-users (13.05 months, 95% CI: 11.78 to 14.32), p < .001. Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the need to support breastfeeding, increase women's knowledge and awareness of contraceptive methods, and to enhance access to integrated family planning and breastfeeding counseling services, including via mobile and outreach modalities. Integrating FPCs into breastfeeding support centers (BSCs), particularly in regions with high fertility rates, low educational attainment, and where sociocultural norms strongly influence attitudes, can be a rational and effective strategy to improve maternal and child health by positively impacting breastfeeding outcomes.
Keywords: breastfeeding, Exclusive, Contraceptives, Family planning, Maternal educational level, Repeat cesarean birth, seasonal, Work
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Koçakoğlu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Şenay Koçakoğlu, senaykocakoglu@harran.edu.tr
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.