INTRODUCTION
Breastfeeding is the normative standard for infant feeding and is beneficial to the health of both mother and infant. Breastfeeding has been recommended as the optimal source of nutrition for infants by Department of Health (2011) and World Health Organization (2014). The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) included breastfeeding as a nutritional preventative strategy for breast and ovarian cancer in mothers and diseases in children such as obesity or malnutrition where it was based on the World Health Organization’s (2014) implication that breastfeeding contributes to the health and well-being of mothers. Moreover, it helps to space children, it increases family and national resources, is…show more content… While the breastfeeding rates continue to rise in the country, it did not continue for as long as recommended. Of infants born in the said year, 49% were breastfeeding at 6 months and 27% at 12 months (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). In the Philippines, the results from Family Health Survey (FHS) indicated that 92% of children ages 6-35 months of age are breastfed at some time (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2013). According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), only 34% of Filipino mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 month. During a press conference, UNICEF Philippines communication head Angela Travis stated that almost half of all mothers in the country depend on milk formula or artificial milk in varying degrees. As cited in a study on the Philippines, Travis stated that exclusively breastfeeding mothers increased in numbers after receiving support from their families and local health units. Almost 70% of mothers decided to breastfeed after regularly visiting or gets visited by community health workers. Travis stated that community support is really important and that is why in the Philippines, UNICEF is working together with the Department of Health (DOH) and various hospitals and other health facilities in able to encourage mothers to breastfeed (October,…show more content… Maternal challenge has been cited such as nipple pain and damage, as well as mastitis, perceived insufficient milk supply and mastitis (Spencer, 2016). Additionally, problems with latching have been reported to decrease the breastfeeding behavior of the mothers (Sears & Sears, 2016). There is a sizable gap between rates of breastfeeding and current recommendations. Targeting modifiable variables that may be amenable to intervention is one strategy to improve breastfeeding outcomes. One such modifiable variable is breastfeeding self-efficacy (Hauck, Hall & Jones, 2011). Utilizing the self-efficacy theory, it was posited that mothers’ breastfeeding self-efficacy will predict if a mother chooses to breastfeed, if she will have self-enhancing or self-defeating thought patterns, how much effort she will expend, and how she will emotionally respond to breastfeeding difficulties. In particular, efficacious mothers would be more likely to use positive, self-encouraging strategies, initiate breastfeeding and continue with breastfeeding even if confronted with difficulties, and cope well when confronted with perceived barriers (McQueen, Dennis, Stremler & Norman, 2011). However, breastfeeding self-efficacy has been identified as multidimensional, requiring multiple measures of personal efficacy