“His tummy's only tiny” – Scientific feeding advice versus women's knowledge. Women's experiences of feeding their late preterm babies

Mothers' experiences of breast milk expression during separation from their hospitalized infants: a systematic review of qualitative evidence

BACKGROUND

Mother-infant separation, which is occurring with an increasing incidence, is a barrier to direct breastfeeding. Owing to the importance of breast milk to hospitalized infants, mothers are actively encouraged to express milk during their infants' neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. However, mothers are often faced with a number of challenges in this process. There is a need to understand such mothers' real-life experiences of breast milk expression to develop supportive strategies to reduce the burden on mothers and increase breastfeeding rates.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of 12 databases was conducted for relevant studies published from database construction to December 2022. All qualitative and mixed-method studies published in English and Chinese that reported on mothers' experiences of human milk expression during separation from their hospitalized infants were included. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. The process of searching followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. The JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument was used to assess study quality and the credibility of study findings. Meta-aggregation was performed to integrate the results.

RESULTS

This systematic review aggregated mothers' experiences of milk expression during separation from their hospitalized infants. Database search yielded 600 records, of which 19 full-text documents were screened. Finally, 13 studies of good quality were included with data from 332 mothers across seven countries. A total of 61 primary findings with illustrations were extracted from the 13 eligible studies, the findings were generalized into 16 categories, and further were concluded as four synthesized findings: purpose and motivation, physical and emotional experiences, barrier factors, and coping styles.

CONCLUSION

Mothers were driven by extrinsic motivation in their decision to express breast milk. They experienced physical exhaustion and many negative emotional feelings while expressing. This process was affected by numerous barriers. Social support was essential to the initiation and maintenance of milk expression. Medical staff and families should pay more attention to the mental health of mothers with infants in the NICU. Future research should incorporate strategies to cope with emotional responses and offer practical strategies for managing milk expression.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

[ www.crd.york.ac.uk ], identifier [PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022383080].

Food Insecurity: A Barrier to Reproductive Justice Globally

Objective: Reproductive Justice identifies three core reproductive rights for all people: (1) the right to not have a child; (2) the right to have a child; and (3) the right to parent children in safe and healthy environments. We aim to illustrate that food insecurity infringes upon on all three of these rights and so is a pressing issue for reproductive justice and for sexual and reproductive health more broadly. Methods: Using a phenomenological approach, we outline potential pathways between food insecurity and reproductive justice. Results: There are numerous potential pathways between food insecurity and reproductive justice, including entry into sexual relationships for material support, links to sexually transmitted infections and infertility, structural violence, prioritization and spending tradeoffs between food and other basic necessities, biological impacts of malnutrition, restricted reproductive choices, population control measures, and social stigma and exclusion. Marginalized people are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity and its consequences, with implications for sexual health and pleasure and for reproductive justice. Conclusions:Meaningful and equitable collaboration between people with lived experience of food insecurity, human rights and reproductive justice activists, and academics is critical to sensitively contextualize this work and mobilize broader social change.

Efficacy of a breastfeeding support education program for nurses and midwives: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Nutritional support influences the growth and development of late preterm infants (LPIs) and their long-term health status. However, healthy LPIs have a shorter hospital stay and may not receive adequate care after discharge. In this study, we developed and evaluated the effectiveness of an educational program for nurses and midwives to enable them to support breastfeeding of healthy LPIs.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Japan from July 2018 to April 2019. The participant pool consisted of nurses and midwives working at midwiferies and obstetric centers in Tokyo, Japan. A total of 395 candidates were recruited for participation across 79 facilities. The final participants were assigned to two groups: the breastfeeding support for LPIs program (BSLPI group; n = 36) or the non-technical skills program (NTS group; n = 33). The measures included the Self-Efficacy of Breastfeeding Support scale (SBS), the Social Skills in Nursing Interactions with Mothers (SS) scale, and the Knowledge and Skills Necessary for Breastfeeding Support for LPIs test (K-S). Scores for each measure were collected before, after, and one-month after the intervention. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to identify differences (main effects) according to program (BSLPI and NTS) and time (before, immediately after, and one month after intervention).

RESULTS

All 69 participants attended the program. Main effects of the program were observed only for K-S scores (F[1,58] = 78.57, p = 0.01). No significant differences were found for SBS (F[1,58] = 0.63, p = 0.43) or SS scores (F[1,58] = 1.51, p = 0.23).

CONCLUSIONS

Participation in the BSLPI was related to improved breastfeeding support knowledge and skills but was not related to improvements in nurses' self-efficacy or social skills.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered 12 December 2018, https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000040145 (UMIN: UMIN000035227).

From Expressing Human Milk to Breastfeeding-An Essential Element in the Journey to Motherhood of Mothers of Prematurely Born Infants

BACKGROUND

Lactation and breastfeeding present an extraordinary challenge for mothers of prematurely born infants.

PURPOSE

To explore the significance of and the circumstances that affect lactation for mothers of premature infants.

METHODS

A qualitative exploratory study based on single, in-depth, semistructured interviews with 16 purposefully sampled mothers of premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Data were analyzed using content analysis. The study was reported according to Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.

FINDINGS

The overall theme was "From expressing human milk to breastfeeding-an essential element in the journey to motherhood." The theme emerged from 3 categories: the birth preparation time has been interrupted; expressing human milk is essential for lactation; and the motherhood journey encompasses breastfeeding. The analysis also revealed that the categories were impacted by initiating, performing, and maintaining lactation and further influenced by inhibitors and promoters.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The promoters for performing milk expression and breastfeeding should be stimulated and the inhibitors should be eliminated. The achievement of "zero separation" and mother-infant couplet care in the NICU would be beneficial. In order for mothers to maintain successful lactation, it is essential that they receive supportive around-the-clock access to health professionals with expertise in lactation and breastfeeding until exclusive breastfeeding is well established.

IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH

The study highlights the need to investigate mother-infant as one entity rather than separately as mother and infant.

Breastfeeding initiation, duration, and experiences of mothers of late preterm twins: a mixed-methods study

Background

Twins and late preterm (LPT) infants are at an increased risk of being breastfed to a lesser extent than term singletons. This study aimed to describe the initiation and duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding at the breast for mothers of LPT twins and term twins during the first 4 months and to explore the breastfeeding experiences of mothers of LPT twins.

Methods

A sequential two-sample quantitative–qualitative explanatory mixed-methods design was used. The quantitative data were derived from a longitudinal cohort study in which 22 mothers of LPT twins and 41 mothers of term twins answered questionnaires at one and four months after birth (2015–2017). The qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with 14 mothers of LPT twins (2020–2021), based on results from the quantitative study and literature. Analysis included descriptive statistics of quantitative data and deductive content analysis of the qualitative data, followed by condensation and synthesis.

Results

All mothers of LPT twins (100%) and most mothers of term twins (96%) initiated breastfeeding. There was no difference in any breastfeeding during the first week at home (98% versus 95%) and at 1 month (88% versus 85%). However, at 4 months, the difference was significant (44% versus 75%). The qualitative data highlighted that mothers of LPT twins experienced breastfeeding as complex and strenuous. Key factors influencing mothers’ experiences and decisions were their infants’ immature breastfeeding behaviors requiring them to express breast milk alongside breastfeeding, the burden of following task-oriented feeding regimes, and the lack of guidance from healthcare professionals. As a result, mothers started to question the worth of their breastfeeding efforts, leading to changes in breastfeeding management with diverse results. Support from fathers and grandparents positively influenced sustained breastfeeding.

Conclusions

Mothers of LPT twins want to breastfeed, but they face many challenges in breastfeeding during the first month, leading to more LPT twins’ mothers than term twins’ mothers ceasing breastfeeding during the following months. To promote and safeguard breastfeeding in this vulnerable group, care must be differentiated from routine term infant services, and healthcare professionals need to receive proper education and training.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13006-022-00507-3.

Self-efficacy in breastfeeding predicts how mothers perceive their preterm infant's state-regulation

Background

Mothers of preterm infants often perceive the infant as having problems with crying, sleeping and feeding, sometimes summarised as ‘state-regulation’. Breastfeeding rates are lower among preterm infants, and the mother’s self-efficacy in breastfeeding is central to understanding which mothers are going to breastfeed their infants. We have previously shown that mothers with higher self-efficacy have an easier time adapting to the infant and in this study we hypothesised that the degree of self-efficacy also is associated with how difficult the mother believes it is to take care of the infant. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the late preterm infant’s mother’s self-efficacy in breastfeeding was associated with how the mother experienced her infant’s state-regulation at three months of corrected age.

Methods

The study had a prospective and longitudinal design with a consecutive data collection through questionnaires. Inclusion criteria were mothers (n = 105) with a singleton infant born between 34 + 0 and 36 + 6 weeks of gestation. At term age, the mothers completed the Breastfeeding Self-efficacy Scale-Short Form and at the three months corrected age follow-up, mothers completed the Infant state-regulation index: questions related to whether the infant had difficulties with colic, persistent crying, comforting, falling asleep, sleep problems, breastfeeding, eating or poor weight gain.

Results

The analyses showed that being an older mother, perceiving breastfeeding support, and having a higher breastfeeding self-efficacy were all significantly associated with identifying the infant as having better state-regulation.

Conclusions

There was an association between mothers’ self-efficacy in breastfeeding and her perceptions of how good state-regulation the infant had. This is an important finding, as self-efficacy is a manageable factor that could positively affect how the mother perceives taking care of her infant. Clinical implication: Improved self-efficacy is known to be an important factor in increased breastfeeding prevalence and healthcare professionals should also target mother’s self-efficacy in breastfeeding to improve mother-infant relationship.

Positive breastfeeding experiences and facilitators in mothers of preterm and low birthweight infants: a meta-ethnographic review

Background

Most qualitative research on breastfeeding the preterm or low-birthweight (LBW) infant has focused on negative insights; there are no comprehensive insights into how, when and why mothers experience positive breastfeeding experiences. We aimed to address this knowledge gap by exploring what characterizes and facilitates a positive breastfeeding experience in mothers of preterm and/or LBW infants.

Methods

A systematic review using meta-ethnographic methods was conducted. Search strategies involved a comprehensive search strategy on six bibliographic databases, citation tracking and reference checking. The analysis involved a reciprocal level of translation and a line of argument synthesis.

Results

Searches identified 1774 hits and 17 articles from 14 studies were included, representing the views of 697 mothers. A positive breastfeeding experience was identified as being ‘attuned’. Three themes and eight sub-themes were developed to describe what characterizes attuned breastfeeding. ‘Trusting the body and what it can do’, concerned how attuned breastfeeding was facilitated through understanding the bodily responses and capacity and feeling comfortable with holding the infant and to breastfeed. ‘Being emotionally present – in the here and now’ described the importance of feeling relaxed and reassured. ‘Experiencing mutual positive responses’, illuminated how attunement was related to feelings of mutuality - when the mother recognises the infant’s cues, responds to these signals and receives a positive response from the infant. The key factors to facilitate attuned breastfeeding were opportunities for prolonged close physical contact with the infant, positive relationships with and support from staff and peers, and being facilitated to breastfeed when the infant showed feeding cues.

Conclusions

This study provides new insights into what characterizes a positive breastfeeding experience and how staff can facilitate and enable mothers to achieve attuned breastfeeding. Improvements in units’ design, such as for rooming-in and having prolonged skin-to-skin contact, and care provided by knowledgeable, supportive and encouraging staff and peers, are crucial. The mother’s physical and emotional states and the infant’s behavioural responses and physiological signals should guide the process towards positive breastfeeding practices.

Indonesian mothers' beliefs on caring practices at home for preterm babies after hospital discharge: A qualitative study

PURPOSE

Premature birth may be associated with infant health problems and frequently requires in-hospital and then at-home specialized care. Studies investigating home-caring experiences of mothers of preterm infants in developing countries are limited. This study was to explore preterm mothers' experiences of caring practices at home 1 month after their infant's discharge from a neonatal unit.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A descriptive qualitative study using in-depth interviews with eight purposively sampled mothers who had been discharged home from neonatal unit in one city in Indonesia. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULT

Three main themes emerged: (1) transition to independent motherhood, (2) focus on care of infant after discharge, and (3) barriers and enablers for care. The mothers managed their infant care at home by focusing on feeding and managing infant health problems. They faced on myth and culture as one of the barriers.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive discharge education for mothers of preterm infants and their families is required to enhance mothers' caring abilities and overcome barriers is sufficient. Nurses/midwives need to improve care related to the well-being of mothers and their infants in preparation for, and after, discharge from the neonatal unit.

Barriers and enablers to caregivers' responsive feeding behaviour: A systematic review to inform childhood obesity prevention

Responsive infant feeding is a critical component of childhood obesity prevention. However, there is little guidance for caregivers on how to do this successfully. The first step to developing an intervention to promote responsive feeding is to systematically identify its barriers and enablers. Searches were conducted in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, Maternity, and Infant Care from inception to November 2020. All study designs were included if they reported a barrier or enabler to responsive feeding during the first 2 years of life. We used a "best fit" framework synthesis, with the Capacity, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behaviour (COM-B) model. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess study quality. Forty-three studies were included in the review. Barriers (n = 36) and enablers (n = 21) were identified across five COM-B domains: psychological capacity, physical and social opportunity, and reflective and automatic motivation. Enablers were recognition of infant feeding cues, feeding knowledge and family and friends. Caregiver attitude toward control of feeding was a barrier, together with health care professional advice about formula feeding and breastfeeding expectation. These barriers and enablers provide a comprehensive evidence base to guide intervention development to improve responsive feeding and prevent obesity across individual and population levels.

Guilt, shame, and postpartum infant feeding outcomes: A systematic review

Negative maternal affect (e.g., depression and anxiety) has been associated with shorter breastfeeding duration and poorer breastfeeding intention, initiation, and exclusivity. Other affective states, including guilt and shame, have been linked with formula feeding practice, though existing literature has yet to be synthesised. A narrative synthesis of quantitative data and a framework synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data were conducted to explore guilt and/or shame in relation to infant feeding outcomes. Searches were conducted on the DISCOVER database between December 2017 and March 2018. The search strategy was rerun in February 2020, together yielding 467 studies. The study selection process identified 20 articles, published between 1997 and 2017. Quantitative results demonstrated formula feeders experienced guilt more commonly than breastfeeding mothers. Formula feeders experienced external guilt most commonly associated with healthcare professionals, whereas breastfeeding mothers experienced guilt most commonly associated with peers and family. No quantitative literature examined shame in relation to infant feeding outcomes, warranting future research. The framework synthesis generated four distinct themes which explored guilt and/or shame in relation to infant feeding outcomes: 'underprepared and ineffectively supported', 'morality and perceived judgement' (breastfeeding), 'frustration with infant feeding care' and 'failures, fears and forbidden practice' (formula feeding). Both guilt and shame were associated with self-perception as a bad mother and poorer maternal mental health. Guilt and shame experiences were qualitatively different in terms of sources and outcomes, dependent on infant feeding method. Suggestions for tailored care to minimise guilt and shame, while supporting breastfeeding, are provided.

Developing the Preterm Breastfeeding Attitudes Instrument: A tool for describing attitudes to breastfeeding among health care professionals in neonatal intensive care

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to develop an instrument that measures health care professionals' (HCPs) attitudes to breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact in relation to the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative for neonatal intensive care.

DESIGN

The study was part of a larger project aiming to revive the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding for both full-term and preterm infants. The study had a pre-test/post-test design using online questionnaires distributed by email before and after a training programme.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 70 specialist registered nurses, registered nurses, assistant nurses and physicians working at a Swedish neonatal intensive care unit answered 55 breastfeeding attitudes questions online before the training. The Preterm Breastfeeding Attitudes Instrument (PreBAI) consists of twelve of these 55 items/questions, selected using exploratory factor analysis.

MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS

Higher scores indicated more positive attitudes and the median total PreBAI score was 42 points (out of 48), on both the pre- and the post-test questionnaires, showing no significant difference. In the pre-test questionnaire, the majority of HCPs (84%) stated that they needed further breastfeeding training. They also stated that they perceived breastfeeding as very important, scoring a median of 10 (range 5-10) points on a 10-point scale. Three separate underlying dimensions were identified in the questionnaire, indicating different attitudes: Facilitating (five items), Regulating (four items), and Breastfeeding- and skin-to-skin contact-friendly (three items). A positive correlation was found between how many years the HCPs had worked in neonatal care, and their PreBAI score (r_s = 0.383, p = 0.001). Those who had previously received extra breastfeeding education scored higher on the instrument.

KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Neonatal intensive care units need to increase their efforts to support breastfeeding. An important factor for mothers when establishing breastfeeding is support from well-trained professionals with a positive attitude to breastfeeding. The PreBAI could be a useful tool for identifying attitudes among HCPs before and after attending a breastfeeding training programme.

Mothers' Adaptation to a Late Preterm Infant When Breastfeeding

The aim of this study was to psychometrically test the Adaptation to the Late Preterm Infant when Breastfeeding Scale (ALPIBS) and also to test how a mother's self-efficacy predicts adaptation to a late preterm infant when breastfeeding. This study had a longitudinal and prospective design, and data collection was consecutive. Mothers (n = 105) with infants born between 340/7 and 366/7 weeks were recruited from a neonatal intensive care unit or a maternity unit. The ALPIBS was developed using exploratory factor analysis, and the association between breastfeeding self-efficacy and ALPIBS score was examined using linear regression analysis. The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form instrument was used to measure self-efficacy in breastfeeding. A higher degree of self-efficacy was significantly associated with a higher degree of adaptation to the late preterm infant's breastfeeding behavior (P < .001). We identified 4 separate underlying factors measured by 11 items in the ALPIBS: (A) breastfeeding is a stressful event; (B) the infant should breastfeed as often as he or she wants; (C) a mother has to breastfeed to be a good mother; and (D) it is important to ensure control over the infant's feeding behavior. There is a link between self-efficacy and ALPIBS score, and self-efficacy is a modifiable factor that influences breastfeeding.

Powerless responsibility: A feminist study of women's experiences of caring for their late preterm babies

PROBLEM

There is minimal research exploring women's experiences of caring for a late preterm baby. The emphasis in the literature is mostly baby centric.

BACKGROUND

The number of babies born late preterm is rising and women's views are largely unknown.

AIM

What are the experiences of women who are caring for a late preterm baby?

METHODS

A feminist lens was the key philosophical underpinning. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 14 women.

FINDINGS

Women who become mothers' of late preterm babies have a complex journey. It begins with separation, with babies being cared for in unfamiliar and highly technical environments where the perceived experts are healthcare professionals. Women's needs are side-lined, and they are required to care for their babies within parameters determined by others. Institutional and professional barriers to mothering/caring are numerous.

DISCUSSION

Some of the women who were separated from their babies immediately after birth had difficulties conceiving themselves as mothers, and others faced restrictions when trying to access their babies. Women described care that was centred on their babies. They were allowed and expected to care for their babies, but only with 'powerless responsibility'. Many women appeared to be excluded from decisions and were not always provided with full information about their babies.

CONCLUSION

Women whose babies are born late preterm would benefit from greater consideration in relation to their needs, rather than the focus being almost exclusively on their babies.

Breastfeeding progression in late preterm infants from birth to one month

This study aimed to describe and compare breastfeeding progression, infants' feeding behaviours, maternal feeding difficulties, and mothers' usage of breastfeeding interventions for singleton late preterm (LPT) and term infants. A further aim was to identify associated factors for exclusive breastfeeding at breast at 1 month in LPT infants. This was a cohort study where mothers of LPT infants from a neonatal unit (n = 60), LPT infants from a maternity unit (n = 62), and term infants from a maternity unit (n = 269) answered a questionnaire approximately 1 month after delivery. Findings showed no significant differences in exclusive breastfeeding at breasts between LPT infants admitted to the neonatal unit compared with the maternity unit, during the first week at home (38% vs. 48%), or at 1 month of age (52% vs. 50%). Term infants were more likely to be exclusively breastfed at the breast (86% and 74%, p < 0.05) compared with LPT infants. Multiple regression analysis showed that usage of a nipple shield, not feeding breast milk exclusively during the first week at home, or feeding less than 10 times per day at 1 month were statistically significant for not exclusively breastfeed at the breast. A protective factor was the mothers' experience of having an abundance of milk during the first week at home. In conclusion, LPT infants are less likely to be exclusively breastfed at the breast than term infants, highlighting the need for further research to guide interventions aimed at optimising exclusive breastfeeding rates.