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. 2021 Jul 23;8(2):20551029211029158.
doi: 10.1177/20551029211029158. eCollection 2021 Jul-Dec.

Couples talk about breastfeeding: Interviews with parents about decision-making, challenges, and the role of fathers and professional support

Erin J Henshaw  1 , Maria Mayer  1 , Sarina Balraj  1 , Elsie Parmar  1 , Kristine Durkin  1 , Rita Snell  1
Affiliations

Couples talk about breastfeeding: Interviews with parents about decision-making, challenges, and the role of fathers and professional support

Erin J Henshaw et al. Health Psychol Open. .

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.

Keywords: breastfeeding; father; infant; postpartum; women’s health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Central themes of mother and father interviews about breastfeeding.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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