Experiences of breastfeeding during Covid‐19

Lessons for future practical and emotional support

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15535822
AutoresAmy Brown (0000-0002-0438-0157, Swansea University, autor de correspondencia), Natalie Shenker (0000-0002-8067-1079, Imperial College London)
Año2020
Volumen17
Número1
Páginase13088-e13088
Fecha de publicación2020-09-23
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.13088
PMID32969184
OpenAlexW3089036914
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas44
Referencias citadas11

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown and social distancing led to changes to breastfeeding support available to women in the United Kingdom. Face-to-face professional support was reduced, and face-to-face peer support was cancelled. Anecdotal media accounts highlighted practices separating some mothers and babies in hospitals, alongside inaccurate stories of the safety of breastfeeding circulating. Meanwhile, new families were confined to their homes, separated from families and support networks. Given that we know breastfeeding is best supported by practices that keep mother and baby together, high-quality professional and peer-to-peer support, and positive maternal well-being, it is important to understand the impact of the pandemic upon the ability to breastfeed. To explore this, we conducted an online survey with 1219 breastfeeding mothers in the United Kingdom with a baby 0-12 months old to understand the impact of the pandemic upon breastfeeding duration, experiences and support. The results highlighted two very different experiences: 41.8% of mothers felt that breastfeeding was protected due to lockdown, but 27.0% of mothers struggled to get support and had numerous barriers stemming from lockdown with some stopped breastfeeding before they were ready. Mothers with a lower education, with more challenging living circumstances and from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to find the impact of lockdown challenging and stop breastfeeding. The findings are vital in understanding how we now support those women who may be grieving their loss of breastfeeding and are affected by their negative experiences and how we can learn from those with a positive experience to make sure all breastfeeding women are better supported if similar future events arise

Breastfeeding · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Distancing · Ethnic group · Pandemic · Peer support · Social support · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences · COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology · Pediatrics