The Effectiveness of Peer Counseling for Postpartum Mothers to Increase Breastfeeding Success

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To realize the optimal growth and development of the baby, ideally the mother should only give breast milk, from immediately after giving birth until the baby is 6 months old, which is commonly known as exclusive breastfeeding. However, the facts on the ground show that many mothers fail to give breast milk to their babies, so an effective solution is needed. AIM: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of peer counseling for postpartum mothers in order to increase the success of breastfeeding in the working area of Jenu Health Center, Tuban Regency, Indonesia. METHODS: This study was an experimental study that applied a static group comparison design. The research subjects were 18 postpartum mothers who were selected by simple random sampling technique, then divided into a treatment group that received peer counseling and a control group, each consisting of 9 postpartum mothers. For both groups, breastfeeding success was measured by means of observation. Furthermore, the difference in breastfeeding success between the two groups was tested using an independent sample t-test. RESULTS: The results of data analysis showed that the mean of successful breastfeeding in the treatment group was higher (77.31%), while the control group was lower (72.22%). The results of the independent sample t-test showed t = 3.731082, with p value = 0.00278070, so it could be interpreted that there was a significant difference in breastfeeding success between postpartum mothers who received and did not receive peer counseling. CONCLUSION: Furthermore, it can be concluded that peer counseling is effective in increasing the success of breastfeeding by postpartum mothers in the working area of Jenu Health Center, Tuban Regency.