{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T06:25:21Z","timestamp":1787034321008,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787011200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Breastfeeding difficulties are common in the early postpartum period and have been hypothesized to negatively affect maternal\u2013infant bonding. We aimed to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding problems and mother\u2013infant bonding at 3 months postpartum in a sample of Turkish mothers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of 257 mothers of 3-month-old infants in Turkey. Participants completed a questionnaire including demographic and obstetric information, breastfeeding practices and difficulties, and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) to assess maternal\u2013infant bonding. Bonding difficulty was defined as a PBQ total score &amp;gt;25. Bivariate analyses (chi-square or Fisher's exact tests) compared mothers with and without bonding difficulties, and a multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify independent predictors of bonding problems at 3 months postpartum.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Overall, 33 mothers (12.8%) met criteria for bonding difficulties at 3 months. A total of 144 mothers (56.0%) reported at least one breastfeeding problem during the first 3 months postpartum. In bivariate analyses, breastfeeding difficulties were more common among mothers with bonding difficulties than among those without (81.8% vs. 52.2%,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.001). Mothers with bonding difficulties were also more likely to have higher education (81.8% vs. 54.9% with \u2265 secondary education;\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.003), to be employed outside the home (21.2% vs. 8.9%;\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.06), and to have a female infant (66.7% vs. 38.8% female;\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.003). No significant differences were found by maternal age, parity, or feeding mode (exclusive breastfeeding vs. formula feeding,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.64). In multivariable logistic regression, breastfeeding difficulties were independently associated with bonding impairment (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5\u20138.0,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.003). Maternal higher education (adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.1\u20138.0,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.031) and having a female infant (adjusted OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.2\u20137.5,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.016) were also independent predictors; maternal employment showed a positive but non-significant association (adjusted OR 2.2, 95% CI 0.9\u20135.5,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u2009.081).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this Turkish sample, mothers who reported breastfeeding difficulties had higher odds of impaired maternal\u2013infant bonding at 3 months postpartum. These findings support routine assessment of breastfeeding-related distress during postpartum care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1863943","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T05:37:30Z","timestamp":1787031450000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Breastfeeding difficulties and maternal\u2013infant bonding at three months postpartum in a Turkish cohort"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Bulent","family":"Gunes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University","place":["Sanliurfa, Turkey"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ferit","family":"Dogan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University","place":["Sanliurfa, Turkey"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmet","family":"Guzelcicek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University","place":["Sanliurfa, Turkey"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aydin","family":"Bozkaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University","place":["Sanliurfa, Turkey"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S. 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