Purpose: The purpose of this study was to inform nursing practice and clinical interventions that support breastfeeding among mothers <24 years of age who resided in a maternity shelter. Methods: Nine young mothers aged 17 to 24, who had initiated breastfeeding, and resided at a maternity shelter, participated in individual semi-structured interviews. This qualitative study was conducted using interpretive description methodology and inductive content analysis. Findings: These young mothers took ownership of their choice to breastfeed and found empowerment in this choice and practice. The institutional and social environments that young mothers experienced were critical to their breastfeeding success. Hospital postpartum nurses had a critical role in the establishment of early breastfeeding by providing a combination of practical hands-on and emotional support to the multifaceted needs of these mothers. Ongoing, accessible, and non-judgemental peer, family, and community support were important to breastfeeding initiation and duration. Conclusion: A combination of emotional and practical supports from multifaceted trusted sources, including professional and peer supports on an ongoing basis are crucial to young at-risk mothers reaching their breastfeeding goals. Implications for clinical practice: Nurses need to focus dually on the practical aspects of breastfeeding while establishing strong therapeutic relationships with this population to successfully provide breastfeeding supports. A combination of accessible and trusted long term professional and peer supports is a key element to designing future breastfeeding support and promotion programs for this population.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/31730 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Edwards, Rosann |
| Contributors | Peterson, Wendy |
| Publisher | Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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