A qualitative analysis of the breastfeeding experiences of mothers who are nurses and nutritionists

ABSTRACT

Background:

From a medical standpoint, breastmilk is the optimal option for feeding a baby, relegating the cultural, social, and material determinants to breastfeeding. Worldwide, breastfeeding rates are low, especially among working mothers. Healthcare providers have low breastfeeding rates due to several barriers to lactation, i.e. work schedule andlack of private places for pumping.

Method:

A descriptive qualitative methodology was applied to examine the breastfeeding experiences of Ecuadorian mothers who are healthcare professionals. Twenty healthcare professionals who breastfed their babies took part in the research. Data gathering employed synchronous semi-structured interviews in Spanish. The data analysis followed the Phronetic Iterative Approach.

Results:

Women shifted the preconceived idea of the ideal breastfeeding scenario concerning duration, promotion, and support, ideals which are constructed in their training as healthcare professionals. Although these women believe that breast milk and breastfeeding is the best way to feed a baby, the internalized ideal of breastfeeding shifted with the experience of motherhood. Although they had that clash between the ideal and the external reality, they continued breastfeeding their babies, and those experiences resulted in them improving their professional practice.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated that breastfeeding for this group of women appears to be a unique relational and identity negotiation process. The findings emphasize that experiencing breastfeeding for this group of healthcare providers positively shifted how they communicate breastfeeding with their patients in the clinical encounter. Ensuring that healthcare professionals acquire a different approach for educating and communicating about lactation is an essential determinant in efforts to improve breastfeeding rates in Ecuador.

KEYWORDS:

• Breastfeeding
• health personnel
• personal narrative
• health communication
• identity
• Breastmilk
• Public Health
• Qualitative Research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Acknowledgements

The author thanks the nurses and nutritionists who were part of the study for their valuable narratives.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Maria J. Mendoza-Gordillo

Maria J. Mendoza-Gordillo (B.Sc., Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, MSc., Brunel University London) is a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Health Communication, and Public Health at Ohio University, United States of America. She holds a Master’s in Science in Health Promotion and Public Health from Brunel University London and a Bachelor’s in Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from PUCE-Ecuador. She is currently working as an Associate Professor in the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, and as a Researcher in the Center for Research on Health in Latin America (CISeAL). In the public health area, she has worked in the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador as a National Nutrition Coordinator, collaborating in the design of Ecuadorian health policy related to malnutrition and food security and developing intersectoral nutritional strategies between Pan-American Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Public Health. Her research interests are breastfeeding, working and gender, and the communication between patient and healthcare professional.