‘But is it a normal thing?’ Teenage mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding promotion and support

Abstract

Aim: To explore teenagers’ experiences of the breastfeeding promotion and support delivered by health professionals. Design: A qualitative study conducted in an English city. Methods: Pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers (n = 29) took part in semi-structured interviews and focus groups between March and July 2009. Results: Breastfeeding is presented by health professionals as incontrovertibly the best choice of feeding method, but teenagers experience an array of conflicting norms which influence their infant feeding choices and behaviours. Conclusions: The social barriers to continuing breastfeeding are insufficiently recognized and addressed by health professionals. It is likely that teenage mothers would breastfeed for longer if they perceived that breastfeeding was a normal way to feed baby in their social milieu.