Public health nurses' experiences of supporting women to breastfeed in community settings in Ireland

Abstract

Support is identified as a key factor in the promotion and duration of breastfeeding. This descriptive qualitative study sought to explore public health nurses' experiences of supporting women to breastfeed in Irish community settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a qualitative descriptive methodology. Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Following data analysis, three major themes emerged, which included: ‘To give them the best support’; ‘We need the help and support as well’; and ‘We've only a certain amount of time’. The findings reveal that public health nurses seek to provide the best support to breastfeeding women within the constraints of clinical practice. Although public health nurses perceive that they have internal and external sources of support, more is needed to enable them provide the best care for breastfeeding women in Ireland.