Narrative Nursing for Cesarean Mothers' Anxiety and Breastfeeding Confidence

This study tests whether a nurse-led "4-step narrative nursing" program can reduce anxiety and improve breastfeeding confidence in mothers who are having a planned or non-emergency cesarean section. What is the problem? About 30-40% of Chinese cesarean mothers feel high anxiety after surgery, and 1 in 5 is at risk for postpartum depression. Low confidence in breastfeeding is also common. What will we do? We will randomly assign 160 mothers (1:1) to either: Usual care - standard education and ward care, or Usual care plus narrative nursing - four short (10-20 min) conversations with a trained nurse: Before surgery - help the mother talk about her fears. 24-48 h after surgery - encourage her to "name" pain or worries and separate them from herself. Before discharge - guide her to find positive moments and build a "strong-mom" story. Two weeks later by phone - strengthen the new story and review feeding success. What will we measure? Main result: anxiety score at 48 h (STAI scale). Other results: depression risk, breastfeeding confidence, pain, and feeding rates up to 3 months. Possible benefits: Lower anxiety, better mood, higher breastfeeding rates. No drugs or extra procedures are involved, only talking. Risks: Minimal; some mothers may feel emotional during conversations, but nurses can pause or refer to counselling if needed.

NCT Number	NCT07272252
Lead Sponsor	Xi Huang Collaborators: Xiamen University, Yilong People's Hospital
Conditions	Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression (PPD), Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Cesarean Section Wound
Enrollment	160 participants
Start Date	2025-10-01
Primary Completion	2026-01-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-03-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-12-18