Associations of Maternal Beliefs and Distress in Pregnancy and Postpartum With Breastfeeding Initiation and Early Cessation

Ritchie-Ewing, Genevieve; Mitchell, Amanda M.; Christian, Lisa M.

doi:10.1177/0890334418767832

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Mothers who do not meet their breastfeeding goals can feel sadness, depression, embarrassment, and guilt (Demirci et al, 2018), negatively affecting their mental health. Conversely, a mother's mental health also affects her duration of any breastfeeding (Ritchie-Ewing et al, 2019). Mothers who stop breastfeeding may need support from many sources (Jackson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Realigning Expectations With Reality: A Case Study on Maternal Mental Health During a Difficult Breastfeeding Journey

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Many mothers have the goal to breastfeed. However, more than 50% will have breastfeeding difficulty by the 3rd day of life. Mothers who are unable to meet their breastfeeding goals are at higher risk for anxiety, depression, embarrassment, and guilt. Those who stop breastfeeding need support and help resolving these feelings. This case study aims to describe one woman’s difficulty with mental health surrounding breastfeeding, her decision to bottle feed, and her successful transition back to direct breastfeeding. Main Issue: Barriers to the participant’s success with breastfeeding were pre-existing history of depression/anxiety, forceps delivery, uncontrolled perineal pain, infant physical trauma, and nipple/flow confusion. The decision to discontinue direct breastfeeding and start bottle feeding came after 2 months of anxiety, frustration, and persistence. Management: The participant followed her healthcare team’s recommendations of triple feeding, lactation support groups, pediatric chiropractic adjustments, and prescribed galactagogues. After 2 months of exhaustion and deliberation, she made the difficult decision to stop breastfeeding for nutritional benefits and switched to breastfeeding only for her infant’s pleasure and comfort. Lowered expectations allowed the dyad to heal and her son to transition to nearly exclusive breastfeeding at 4 months of life. Conclusion: Clinicians must be aware of the delicate balance between promoting breastfeeding for its nutritional value and health benefits and supporting a struggling mother with mental health needs.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Realigning Expectations With Reality: A Case Study on Maternal Mental Health During a Difficult Breastfeeding Journey

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Pregnancy-related stress, generalized anxiety, and postpartum depression have been found to decrease initiation and continued breastfeeding. 39 Studies of lowincome women found that stressful life events, in particular financial stressors, were associated with shorter breastfeeding duration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding by Low-Income Hispanic Mothers

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pregnancy, infancy, and toddlerhood are sensitive times in which families are particularly vulnerable to household food insecurity and when disparities in child obesity emerge. Understanding obesity-promoting infant-feeding beliefs, styles, and practices in the context of food insecurity could better inform both food insecurity and child obesity prevention interventions and policy guidelines. METHODS: We performed purposive sampling of low-income Hispanic mothers (n = 100) with infants in the first 2 years of life, all of whom were participants in a randomized controlled trial of an early child obesity prevention intervention called the Starting Early Program. Bilingual English-Spanish interviewers conducted semistructured qualitative interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated. By using the constant comparative method, transcripts were coded through an iterative process of textual analysis until thematic saturation was reached. RESULTS: Three key themes emerged: (1) contributors to financial strain included difficulty meeting basic needs, job instability, and high vulnerability specific to pregnancy, infancy, and immigration status; (2) effects on infant feeding included decreased breastfeeding due to perceived poor maternal diet, high stress, and limiting of healthy foods; and (3) coping strategies included both home- and community-level strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Stakeholders in programs and policies to prevent poverty-related disparities in child obesity should consider and address the broader context by which food insecurity is associated with contributing beliefs, styles, and practices. Potential strategies include addressing misconceptions about maternal diet and breast milk adequacy, stress management, building social support networks, and connecting to supplemental nutrition assistance programs.

show abstract

“…Postpartum anxiety and depressive symptoms have been found to be associated with breastfeeding, mother-child emotional bonding and interaction, which may affect the health and development of infants (23,27). During the COVID-19 outbreak, a variety of factors may have influenced the postnatal mental health of mothers with COVID-19, such as long-term home quarantine, infections during pregnancy, and prolonged mother-child separation.…”

Section: Postpartum Anxiety and Depression Among Mothers During Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-center survey on the postpartum mental health of mothers and attachment to their neonates during COVID-19 in Hubei Province of China

Peng¹,

Zhang²,

Liu³

et al. 2021

Ann Transl Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: There is an emerging literature on the mental health of both pre-and post-partum mothers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods: As of April 1, 2020, 23 mothers confirmed with COVID-19, 15 mothers suspected with COVID-19 but with negative polymerase chain reaction tests, and 33 mothers without COVID-19 (Control Group) were recruited for a study from Hubei Province in China. The Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS), the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale were applied to investigate the attachment of mothers to their neonates and the postpartum mental health of mothers within the first 3 months after delivery (between 20 to 89 days).Results: The period of mother-child separation among the confirmed group (33.9±20.9 days) was significantly longer than that of suspected group (16.7±12.2 days) and control group (10.7±8.4 days). The total score of the MPAS in mothers confirmed with COVID-19 (45.5±4.2) was significantly lower (indicating less mother-child attachment) than that in the suspected (50.5±4.7) and control (48.8±4.6) groups. A negative correlation was noted between the mother-child separation time and the MPAS scores, including the subscale scores of attachment (MPAS acore: Spearman's ρ =−0.33, 95% CI: −0.095 to −0.538, P=0.005; Subscale score of attachment: Spearman's ρ =−0.40, 95% CI: −0.163 to −0.592, P=0.001). The incidence of postpartum anxiety in the confirmed, suspected and control groups was 4.3%, 6.7% and 12.1%, respectively; and the incidence of postpartum depression was 39.1%, 33.3% and 30.3%, respectively. No significant difference was found with regards to maternal postpartum anxiety and depression among the three groups.Conclusions: Decreased mother-child attachment found among mothers confirmed with COVID-19, indicates that further intervention is needed to ensure mother-child interaction to appropriately develop attachment. Mother-child attachment experienced disruption due to prolonged mother-child separation necessitated by the COVID-19 management protocol, which needs to be revised to reduce prolonged mother-child separation. Additionally, mothers with and without COVID-19 suffered a high incidence of depression, which warrants further mental health investment for pregnant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

show abstract

Associations of Maternal Beliefs and Distress in Pregnancy and Postpartum With Breastfeeding Initiation and Early Cessation

Cited by 26 publications

References 36 publications

Realigning Expectations With Reality: A Case Study on Maternal Mental Health During a Difficult Breastfeeding Journey

Realigning Expectations With Reality: A Case Study on Maternal Mental Health During a Difficult Breastfeeding Journey

Food Insecurity During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding by Low-Income Hispanic Mothers

A multi-center survey on the postpartum mental health of mothers and attachment to their neonates during COVID-19 in Hubei Province of China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About