Managing Anxiety and Stress in Breastfeeding of Advanced Maternal Age

Abstract

Advanced maternal age often faces anxiety and stress during breastfeeding, which may affect their ability to continue breastfeeding. This descriptive qualitative research aimed to explore how women of advanced maternal age perceive and manage anxiety and stress during breastfeeding. The informants were 10 pregnant women aged 35 or older, selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis according to the guidelines of Hsieh & Shannon. There were 10 key informants aged 35-41 years, most of whom were first pregnancies, 3 of whom were postpartum and had experience breastfeeding, and 1 of whom was pregnant with twins. Most of them gave birth by cesarean section, and 2 of them gave birth normally.

The results of the study found that there were 6 issues in the informants’ management of anxiety and stress during breastfeeding: 1) receiving advice from experts, 2) receiving support from family, 3) adjusting and learning new skills, 4) being optimistic and accepting the situation, 5) planning and preparing in advance, and 6) previous breastfeeding experience. Recommendations for health personnel. The six findings should be considered as guidelines for developing activities to promote postpartum anxiety and stress management for mothers so that they can effectively breastfeed.