Women's perspectives on antenatal breast expression: a cross-sectional survey.
Reprod Health
; 15(1): 58, 2018 Apr 04.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29618359
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The practice of antenatal breast expression (ABE) has been proposed as a strategy to promote successful breastfeeding. Although there has been some focus on the evaluation of the effects of ABE in promotion of breastfeeding, little or no evidence exists on women's experiences of ABE or opinions on ABE, particularly amongst overweight or obese women.METHODS:
This study aimed to explore women's knowledge, practices and opinions of ABE, and any differences within the overweight and obese subgroups. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken using an online questionnaire distributed by a maternity user group representative via social media. Quantitative data were analysed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests in SPSS. Simple thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data.RESULTS:
A total of 688 responses were analysed; the sample represented a group of breastfeeding mothers, of whom 64.5% had heard of ABE, 8.2% had been advised to do ABE, and 14.2% had undertaken ABE. Of the women who had been advised to do ABE, 67.9% had complied. Most participants (58.6%) were unsure if ABE was a good idea; however 80.9% would consider doing ABE if it was found to be helpful to prepare for breastfeeding. Women in the overweight or obese subgroups were significantly more likely to have heard of ABE (p < 0.001), and positive opinion of ABE also increased with higher BMI groups. The qualitative data demonstrated participants felt ABE may be beneficial when mother or baby have medical problems, and in preparation for breastfeeding, but highlighted their concerns that it may interfere with nature and be harmful, and that they wanted more information and knowledge about ABE.CONCLUSIONS:
Amongst women who have breastfed, many have heard of ABE, compliance with advice to undertake ABE is relatively high, and ABE is considered an acceptable practice. Further investigation into the benefits and safety of ABE is warranted, to address the needs of childbearing women for evidence-based information about this practice. If the evidence base is established, overweight and obese pregnant women could be an important target group for this intervention.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Atención Prenatal
/
Lactancia Materna
/
Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud
/
Educación del Paciente como Asunto
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Reprod Health
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Reino Unido