Mechanisms of support for exclusive breastmilk expressers in the community: a scoping review

Strauch, Leah; Sweet, Linda; Scott, Hayley A.; Müller, Amanda

doi:10.1186/s12884-019-2667-y

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, in participants’ own research, they found little information on EE from pediatricians or reputable sources such as library resources or healthcare organization websites. This is similar to findings by Strauch and colleagues that information sources included online parenting forums and one-way information websites and blogs but did not find any scholarly articles examining support for EE [ 35 ]. Similarly, Dietrich Leurer and colleagues also found that for women needing to express milk at all, milk expression information needs were often not addressed by healthcare providers [ 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Unseen, unheard: a qualitative analysis of women’s experiences of exclusively expressing breast milk

Anders

Robinson

Ohlendorf

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Breast milk feeding has numerous benefits for women and infants. Positive maternal experiences with breast milk feeding impacts exclusivity, duration, and maternal mental health. Most research focuses on women feeding directly at the breast. Some women elect to feed exclusively expressed milk to their healthy, term infants rather than feed directly at the breast. Little is known about what constitutes a positive experience among this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences of exclusive expression (EE). Methods Interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams to collect qualitative data from a purposive sample of 21 women practicing EE. Interviews were analyzed for themes. Results Three themes: Unseen and Unheard, Doing it My Way, and Getting into the Groove, and 8 subthemes: Breast is Best, Missed Opportunities for Healthcare Provider Support, Fighting for it, What Works for Us, A Sense of Control, Preparation, Tricks of the Trade, and Making it Manageable were identified. Despite challenges, including a lack of support from healthcare providers and a lack of acknowledgement as breastfeeding mothers, exclusive expression offered participants a method to continue breast milk feeding in a way that they found to be satisfying. Conclusion This study provides insight into experiences of exclusive expression that clinicians can use to improve their support of breast milk feeding during perinatal encounters. Societal pressure to feed from the breast may have negative emotional consequences for women electing to exclusively express. There is a need for more information and support for breast milk expression from healthcare providers along with a reframing of how breast milk feeding is discussed and promoted.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Unseen, unheard: a qualitative analysis of women’s experiences of exclusively expressing breast milk

Anders

Robinson

Ohlendorf

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…The WHO’s definitions [ 3 ] for exclusive and any breastfeeding specify the receiving of breastmilk by the infant, which includes expressed breastmilk. A review article [ 40 ] reported that mothers who feed their infants with expressed breastmilk are not acknowledged nor specifically supported by the customary channels for new mothers such as infant feeding and government health organisations. Young mothers are an at-risk population to cease breastfeeding early and therefore require targeted support strategies to improve their adherence to infant feeding recommendations [ 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of young Australian mothers with infant feeding

Buckland

Hector

Kolt

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Despite the overwhelming evidence of health and other benefits of breastfeeding and recommendations to breastfeed by peak health bodies, breastfeeding rates are significantly lower than recommended in Australia and globally. Young mothers are identified as being at high risk of not breastfeeding their infants according to infant feeding recommendations. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of young Australian mothers’ experiences of infant feeding, and to explore the factors which facilitated or hindered adherence to recommended breastfeeding practices. Methods Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit young mothers in Australia (n = 17) aged 18–25 years who had given birth to their first child within the last two years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews via online videoconferencing. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and subsequently analysed. Thematic analysis was conducted using Quirkos, a qualitative data management and analysis software. Results Four major themes were identified: Breastfeeding is challenging; Feeling judged about infant feeding choices; Experiences with breastfeeding support; and Experiences and views on breastfeeding education. Most mothers reported experiencing breastfeeding challenges, particularly those arising from lactation difficulties, yet many were able to overcome these challenges through their determination to breastfeed. Many mothers expressed perceiving judgement from others for breastfeeding in public. Some mothers who were bottle feeding their infants, whether with expressed breast milk or infant formula, felt that they were being judged for using a bottle. Many mothers reported professional, partner, family, and peer support as critical facilitators to the continuation of breastfeeding. Most mothers shared positive experiences of attending breastfeeding education sessions, but indicated the need for community education to reduce judgement toward mothers’ infant feeding decisions. Conclusions The barriers and enablers to infant feeding experienced by young mothers are similar to those experienced by mothers of all ages. Young mothers experience significant breastfeeding challenges and need support from partner, family, peers, and professionals to continue breastfeeding in line with recommendations. Breastfeeding campaigns to support young mothers should be aimed at the wider community to increase awareness of breastfeeding challenges, reduce stigma associated with breastfeeding in public, and to support mothers in their infant feeding decisions.

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“…When direct, exclusive, responsive breastfeeding is not possible, extra feeding equipment will be needed, both for parents and for infants. For example, parents will need to maintain their milk supply with a breast pump (Marasco, 2008) -either a hospital-grade double electric pump, single electric pump or manual breast pump, together with hand expressing and breast massage (Geddes et al, 2013;Morton et al, 2009;Morton et al, 2012;Morton, 2014;Witt et al, 2016;Strauch et al, 2019). Different approaches work best for individual mothers (Meier et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenges of medically complex breastfed children and their families: A systematic review

Hookway

Lewis

Brown

2021

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and then alongside solid food for the first 2 years and beyond is the gold standard in young child nutrition. There is an abundance of literature relating to the preventative nature of breastmilk and breastfeeding against many infectious diseases and chronic conditions. However, despite medically complex infants and children being a group that could benefit most from continued breastfeeding, breastfeeding duration and exclusivity are lower among more complex paediatric populations. The reasons for this are not well known, and there is a paucity of data relating to supporting infants who have acute or chronic illness, disability or congenital anomaly to breastfeed. This systematic review aimed to understand the challenges of breast/chestfeeding the medically complex child and to establish the gaps in healthcare provision that act as barriers to optimal infant and young child feeding. The search was limited to studies published in English, focused on breastfed sick infants in hospital, with no date limits as there is no previous systematic review. Of 786 papers retrieved, 11 studies were included for review, and seven themes identified. Themes included practical and psychological

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Mechanisms of support for exclusive breastmilk expressers in the community: a scoping review

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

Unseen, unheard: a qualitative analysis of women’s experiences of exclusively expressing breast milk

Unseen, unheard: a qualitative analysis of women’s experiences of exclusively expressing breast milk

Experiences of young Australian mothers with infant feeding

The challenges of medically complex breastfed children and their families: A systematic review

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