Mothers’ Body Appreciation and Postpartum Self-Esteem in Relation to Body Changes and Breastfeeding Difficulties: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Cyprus

Abstract

Objectives: This study explores the effect of pregnancy weight gain, acceptance of body changes, and breastfeeding difficulties on mothers’ self-esteem and body appreciation during the postpartum period. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 puerperae (at 2nd day postpartum), during August 2022–March 2023 in Paralimni/Cyprus, with exclusion criteria being the presence of postpartum depression. The Body Appreciation Scale—BAS—was administrated in order to investigate the level of body appreciation, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale—RSES-10—was used for assessing self-esteem. Results: Findings indicated that the higher the pregnancy weight gain (r = −0.293), the lower the measured levels of the mothers’ self-esteem and body appreciation are (r = −0.292). Mothers whose level of acceptance of body changes was low to moderate appeared to demonstrate lower self-esteem (p = 0.027) and lower body appreciation (p p = 0.032), and increased support from their husbands in terms of breastfeeding is associated with higher levels of mothers’ self-esteem (r = 0.235). Additionally, greater support for breastfeeding, both in the clinic (r = 0.314) and from their husbands (r = 0.290), appears to be linked to higher levels of body appreciation. The psychological influence of pregnancy weight gain (β = −0.236, p = 0.04) and breastfeeding difficulties (β = −0.284, p = 0.008) appeared to be predictors of mothers’ self-esteem at two days postpartum. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for further research in areas including mothers’ body image and self-esteem and breastfeeding difficulties and further longitudinal studies to determine the exact nature of the pathways involved.

Keywords

• self-esteem
• body appreciation
• breastfeeding
• postpartum
• breastfeeding difficulties