The three individualized sessions were provided by
the principal investigator of the study; an experienced
Registered Nurse who has practice,
education, and research experience working with
postpartum, breastfeeding mothers. The oneon-
one sessions were delivered in a standardized
format that included (a) assessment, (b) strategies
to increase breastfeeding self-e⁄cacy, and (c)
evaluation. The assessment component included
an examination of the mother’s (a) breastfeeding
goals, (b) breastfeeding self-e⁄cacy using the
Breastfeeding Self-E⁄cacy Scale-Short Form
(BSES-SF) (Dennis, 2003), (c) low-scoring and
high-scoring items on the BSES-SF, (d) perceptions
related to each low-scoring and high-scoring item,
and (e) general physiologic and a¡ective state including
fatigue, pain, and symptoms of depression
and/or anxiety (see Figure 1). This thorough assessment
was conducted to ensure that the intervention
was tailored to meet the mother’s needs.