Women’s experiences of ceasing to breastfeed: Australian qualitative study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate mothers’ infant feeding experiences (breastfeeding/formula milk feeding) with the aim of understanding how women experience cessation of exclusive breastfeeding.DesignMultimethod, qualitative study; questionnaire, focus groups and interviews.SettingNorthern and Southern Tasmania, Australia.Participants127 mothers of childbearing age from a broad sociodemographic context completed a questionnaire and participated in 22 focus groups or 19 interviews across Tasmania, 2011–2013.ResultsMothers view breastfeeding as ‘natural’ and ‘best’ and formula milk as ‘wrong’ and ‘unnatural’. In an effort to avoid formula and prolong exclusive breastfeeding, mothers will endure multiple issues (eg, pain, low milk supply, mastitis, public shaming) and make use of various forms of social and physical capital; resources such as father/partner support, expressing breast milk, bottles and dummies. The cessation of exclusive breastfeeding was frequently experienced as unexpected and ‘devastating’, leaving mothers with ‘breastfeeding grief’ (a prolonged sense of loss and failure).Conclusions and implicationsFor many mothers, the cessation of exclusive breastfeeding results in lingering feelings of grief and failure making it harmful to women’s emotional well-being. Reframing breastfeeding as a family practice where fathers/partners are incorporated as breastfeeding partners has the potential to help women negotiate and prolong breastfeeding. Proactive counselling and debriefing are needed to assist women who are managing feelings of ‘breastfeeding grief’.

Hidden Realities of Infant Feeding: Systematic Review of Qualitative Findings from Parents

“…This finding was consistent for parents from studies within all geographical regions, with the exception of two studies in which some mothers reported that breastfeeding (BF), in general, was not acceptable for infant feeding [59] or that colostrum was not considered appropriate [60]. Results from several studies indicated that parents believed that "breastfeeding is the natural way to feed infants" [34,47,56,61], or "the normal way to feed" [62], and that BF is the healthier option for infant milk feeding [41,55,63].…”

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

“…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. These findings further support the recent research [34], which highlights how appropriate support for these guilt feelings is crucial in preventing mental health difficulties in women such as prolonged breastfeeding grief and advocates for a re-evaluation of how breastfeeding is being promoted.…”

“…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.…”

Exploring the Emotional Breastfeeding Experience of First-Time Mothers: Implications for Healthcare Support

“…In turn, a positive breastfeeding experience favors breastfeeding (11) whereas a previous negative breastfeeding experience may lead to a fear of breastfeeding a next child (12). Furthermore, an early breastfeeding discontinuation may disrupt maternal breastfeeding expectations and/or cause a "breastfeeding grief, " which could undermine maternal emotional well-being and mother-infant relationship (13)(14)(15).…”