Exclusive Breastfeeding for 6 Months Postpartum and Factors Associated With Success in a Tertiary Care Baby-Friendly Hospital: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

It is very important that infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and then that breastfeeding is continued until 2 years of age. In this study, we aimed to determine the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life following birth and the factors associated with continuation of exclusive breastfeeding. The study was a retrospective cohort study. The study population consists of infants born in Akdeniz University Hospital. Infants born between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017 (n = 1402) were included in the sample. For analysis of data, descriptive statistics, χ2 test, t test, and logistic regression test were employed. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months was 29.8%. Further analysis revealed that chances of breastfeeding exclusivity for the first 6 months were increased by 1.6-fold if the father had higher education, by 1.4-fold if the infant was not given formula in the hospital, by approximately 4-fold if feeding bottle was not used, and by 1.7-fold in the absence of problems related to breastfeeding. The study results showed that success in exclusive breastfeeding was influenced by several factors. We recommended that modifiable factors associated with the success of exclusive breastfeeding be well managed.

Theory-Based Nursing Research: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Experiences of Nurse Educators.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Investigation of thoughts, experiences, and attitudes of nurse educators regarding theory-based research is important. Ultimately, nurse educators are the producers of nursing knowledge and providers of education. The aim of this study is to understand the experiences of nurse educators in selecting and using nursing theory to guide and inform the quality of their research. METHODS: This study has a descriptive phenomenological design, and the sample was comprised of nine nurse educators who had experience with theory-based research. The data were collected via in-depth personal interviews using a semi-structured survey form. The data were analyzed with content analysis as described by Graneheim and Lundman. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the results of the study: "awareness of theory," "meaning of theory-based research," "harmony with the theory," and "changing towards scholarship," with 10 subthemes. It was determined that theory-based research helps nurse educators to improve themselves in academic and personal terms. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Although the process of translating theory into research presents several challenges, all participants expressed that theory-based research contributed to their "theory advancing nursing science."

Experiences of women regarding vaginal examination during labor: A qualitative study.

The authors' aim in this study was to examine the experiences of women regarding vaginal examination (VE) performed during labor. This qualitative study is based on a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach. Fourteen women within the first 24 hours of the postpartum period following vaginal birth were enrolled in the study. We created six themes under the categories of "past experiences" and "future expectations". It was revealed that women had many negative feelings during the VE such as pain, ache, embarrassment, and fear. We recommend that the health care providers should inform women about relaxation methods that will reduce pain and discomfort.