A Qualitative Study of Breastfeeding Mothers’ Perspectives Regarding Lactation Support Services

Abstract

Although breastfeeding is widely accepted as beneficial, only half of U.S. mothers are breastfeeding at 6 months. This study aimed to learn whether a quality improvement project to embed lactation support services into the newborn visit at a primary pediatric practice met families’ needs. Mothers who were aged 18+ years, had an infant born in October 2021 with a well-child visit to the study practice (urban, 85% Medicaid, and 90% African American), and planned to breastfeed were invited to participate in a semi-structured telephone interview about their experience with breastfeeding and lactation support. We interviewed 18 mothers and, using a descriptive qualitative approach (thematic analysis), found that early support was helpful in addressing initial challenges such as latching pain but did not adequately anticipate later barriers to continued breastfeeding. This suggests lactation support offered by pediatric primary care practices should extend beyond the newborn period and be tailored to families’ evolving needs.