Journal article 111 views 33 downloads
Perceived Pressures and Mental Health of Breastfeeding Mothers: A Qualitative Descriptive Study
,
Shanti Farrington ,
Fay Sweeting ,
Amy Brown ,
Andrew Mayers
Healthcare, Volume: 12, Issue: 17
Swansea University Author:
Amy Brown
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© 2024 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
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DOI (Published version): 10.3390/healthcare12171794
Abstract
When a mother is supported to breastfeed, the benefits for her mental health are significant. However, if pressured or unsupported, the opposite is true. This research examines mothers’ breastfeeding experiences, exploring how perceived pressure can impact perinatal mental health. A sample of 501 re...
| Published in: | Healthcare |
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| ISSN: | 2227-9032 |
| Published: |
MDPI
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67736 |
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| Abstract: |
When a mother is supported to breastfeed, the benefits for her mental health are significant. However, if pressured or unsupported, the opposite is true. This research examines mothers’ breastfeeding experiences, exploring how perceived pressure can impact perinatal mental health. A sample of 501 respondents to a research questionnaire was explored using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Three main themes identified were perceived pressure to breastfeed, perceived pressure not to breastfeed and mental health impact. The main findings were that mothers received conflicting advice from healthcare professionals, and pressures to feed in a certain way came from their support networks, as well as from their internal beliefs. Perceived pressures negatively impacted maternal mental health, while positive breastfeeding experiences benefitted mental health outcomes. |
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| Keywords: |
Breastfeeding, postnatal care, mental health, social support, qualitative |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
This research received no external funding. |
| Issue: |
17 |