Interrupción temprana de la lactancia materna. Un estudio cualitativo

Exploring women’s perceptions of pain when breastfeeding using online methods

“…The relevance to set realistic expectations for breastfeeding and potential pain experience also came to light in users' sharing of their personal opinions of health care professionals. In accordance with previous qualitative evidence [18], the forum posts revealed mixed views on the helpfulness of the health professionals and their ability to provide relevant care. Some users felt they did not focus enough on breastfeeding being painful, so it came as a surprise when it was painful and subsequently increased the worry for the women and their likelihood of quitting.…”

“…and shared experiences and support. These findings closely match to and extend the findings for a recent qualitative study by on early breastfeeding cessation [18]. Using semi-structure interviews in 15 first-time mothers, these authors identified that pain was the main reason for early cessation, associated with ambivalent feelings of physical and psychological causes and consequences.…”

“…This emotional support is linked highly to the psychological side of breastfeeding struggles, for example feelings of guilt as reflected in the third theme, where many users just want to know that someone else has been through a similar situation to them and that they made it through that difficult time. As found in previous research [18,21,34], it is very common for women to feel guilty for wanting to quit as they knew how beneficial breastfeeding was for their baby, so it made them feel like a failure by preventing their baby from being provided with these benefits. This strong prevalence of the guilt feeling highlights how women are aware of the and convinced by the benefits of breastfeeding, which may suggest that information provision surrounding the benefits of breastfeeding may not actually be an effective strategy to support breastfeeding continuation.…”

“…Using semi-structure interviews in 15 first-time mothers, these authors identified that pain was the main reason for early cessation, associated with ambivalent feelings of physical and psychological causes and consequences. Similar to the stories from the online forums, these women [18] reported varying experiences of support from healthcare professionals, with most receiving inadequate information. Our findings expand on this knowledge by providing a more detailed insight in the various experiences of pain and associated perceived causes, as well as how many women seek and receive social support for these experiences on online forums.…”

“…Beyond understanding the reasons for and range of pain experiences, it is important to consider how women can be supported to manage or cope with pain whilst breastfeeding. Qualitative research indicates that women express a mismatch between their general expectations and realities of breastfeeding [17] as well as a lack of support for emotional needs related to breastfeeding [18]. Yet many women prefer social support over healthcare professional support and they recognise that other people such as family and friends can strongly influence their breastfeeding expectations and experiences, both in a positive and negative manner [19,20,21].…”