The Effect of Motivational Interviews to Mothers With Insufficient Milk Perception on Breastfeeding Motivation and Cortisol Level

Motivational interviewing; It is an evidence-based and client-centered approach that finds and eliminates the person's complex emotions, motivates, and increases the person's self-efficacy and motivation in the decision-making process. Breast milk is the only physiological baby food that contains the nutrients necessary for babies' absorption in appropriate quantity and quality. It is very important for the mother and baby's health that the mother starts breastfeeding her baby as early as possible and that the baby is fed only breast milk for the first six months. The perception of insufficient milk is defined as the mother thinking that she cannot produce milk or believing that there is too little milk in her breasts. The main reasons are; The mother's stay in the hospital longer than normal during the postpartum period, the mother's separation from her baby, and therefore the late establishment of the emotional bond between the mother and the baby may trigger the perception of insufficient milk. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid steroid hormone that is released in the human body during stress and whose release is regulated through the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) system. Stress and fear of birth cause insufficient milk secretion. Stress and fear in the mother can prevent early skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the baby by affecting the oxytocin hormone.