Couples talk about breastfeeding: Interviews with parents about decision-making, challenges, and the role of fathers and professional support
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2021
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Despite health benefits, sustained breastfeeding rates remain low in the United States, and the role of partners in breastfeeding is not well understood. Using a grounded theory approach, the current qualitative study explored how couples communicate regarding breastfeeding decisions and challenges. Mother-father dyads (n = 16) completed individual semi-structured interviews 1 year after the birth of their first child. Following iterative qualitative analysis, three phases of breastfeeding communication emerged: Should we try this? (Mother’s opinion counts) How do we make this work? (adjusting and problem-solving) and How do we settle into a routine? (gaining confidence, resolving issues)Findings underscore the complexity of defining the partner role in breastfeeding.
Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Recommended Citation
Henshaw, E., J., et al. (2021). Couples talk about breastfeeding: Interviews with parents about decision-making, challenges, and the role of fathers and professional support. Health Psychology Open, 8(2). http://doi.org/10.1177/20551029211029158
ISSN
2055-1029