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. 2024 Sep 8;12(17):1794.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12171794.

Perceived Pressures and Mental Health of Breastfeeding Mothers: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abigail Wheeler  1 , Shanti Farrington  1 , Fay Sweeting  1 , Amy Brown  2 , Andrew Mayers  1
Affiliations

Perceived Pressures and Mental Health of Breastfeeding Mothers: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abigail Wheeler et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

When a mother is supported to breastfeed, the benefits for her mental health are significant. However, if pressured or unsupported, the opposite is true. This research examines mothers' breastfeeding experiences, exploring how perceived pressure can impact perinatal mental health. A sample of 501 respondents to a research questionnaire was explored using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Three main themes identified were perceived pressure to breastfeed, perceived pressure not to breastfeed and mental health impact. The main findings were that mothers received conflicting advice from healthcare professionals, and pressures to feed in a certain way came from their support networks, as well as from their internal beliefs. Perceived pressures negatively impacted maternal mental health, while positive breastfeeding experiences benefitted mental health outcomes.

Keywords: breastfeeding; mental health; postnatal care; qualitative; social support.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A coding tree showing themes and sub-themes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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