Australian, Irish, and Swedish women’s comfort levels when breastfeeding in public

Abstract

Abstract Background Despite a flux of global initiatives to increase breastfeeding, disparate rates persist. The decision to commence and sustain breastfeeding is influenced by a myriad of variables, not least by the prospect of breastfeeding in public. Feelings of social embarrassment, shame, fear of judgement, and lack of confidence when breastfeeding in public, compound women’s decisions to breastfeed, and may result in formula feeding or early cessation of breastfeeding. A greater understanding of where and how women feel most comfortable when breastfeeding in public may assist in designing interventions to support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding.Methods A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with women living in Ireland, Australia, or Sweden who were currently breastfeeding or who had breastfed within the previous two years. Our objective was to explore where, and how often women breastfeed in public and to compare women’s levels of comfort when breastfeeding in public. Data were collected in 2018 using an anonymous online survey over a four-week period in Ireland, Australia, or Sweden and were analysed using SPSS Version 25.Results Most respondents were well educated and the largest groups of respondents in each country were first time mothers. Seeing women breastfeed in public did vary and was more common in Sweden and Australia compared to Ireland. Most women in the participating countries breastfed in public whenever their baby needed feeding and very few women never or rarely breastfed in public. In terms of location, coffee shops/cafes, restaurants and parks were most popular. In all three countries, partners reported as supportive of breastfeeding in public and this added to breastfeeding women’s comfort levels. Comfort levels were very consistent across the three countries with women reporting higher levels of comfort when feeding with strangers than with those known to them.Conclusion This research offers important insights into the experiences and comfort levels of women breastfeeding in public. Limitations include the anonymous nature of the surveys, thus preventing follow-up, in addition to the variances in terminology used to describe locations across the three settings. Recommendations are made for research to determine the relationships between the frequency of breastfeeding in public and breastfeeding women’s perceived comfort levels, the influence of family members’ perceptions of breast feeding in public and women’s experiences, and the experience of women who feel uncomfortable while breastfeeding in public with a view to developing support measures.