“They painted a rosy view, but I would have preferred to hear the reality”‐ Australian women’s experiences of antenatal breastfeeding education

IF 3.6 2区医学 Q1 NURSING

Women and Birth Pub Date : 2025-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-02-03 DOI:10.1016/j.wombi.2025.101888

Elisha Stein, Kathleen Dixon, Elaine Burns

{"title":"“They painted a rosy view, but I would have preferred to hear the reality”‐ Australian women’s experiences of antenatal breastfeeding education","authors":"Elisha Stein, Kathleen Dixon, Elaine Burns","doi":"10.1016/j.wombi.2025.101888","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Education is an essential component of antenatal care, yet little is known about Australian women’s experience of breastfeeding education.</div></div><div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This study aimed to explore women’s experiences of breastfeeding education accessed during the antenatal period and the impact on breastfeeding preparedness.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An online survey collected both qualitative and quantitative data over a one-month period. Quantitative data was analysed for descriptive statistics and open text questions were qualitatively analysed for themes.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>In total 182 participants accessed the survey and 178 completed. Most participants attended breastfeeding education at a public hospital. Some received education free of charge and others had to pay. Breastfeeding education was absent from some antenatal education classes and where it was included there was a lack of standardised content. The benefits of breastfeeding and the importance of skin-to-skin contact were covered regularly, but instructions on how to breastfeed were limited.</div><div>Two overarching themes were identified. The first “I didn't feel prepared for breastfeeding” included six sub- themes describing a feeling of being deceived about how easy breastfeeding would be. The second smaller theme “I felt prepared for breastfeeding” reflected more positive experiences. Within this theme were three subthemes including the importance of a skilled educator, learning techniques and the educator’s breastfeeding knowledge.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Women described feeling unprepared for the reality of breastfeeding and sought realistic and practical breastfeeding education. Coverage of breastfeeding was inconsistent, especially breastfeeding challenges. Future policy guidelines on breastfeeding education must be consistent and include minimum information standards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48868,"journal":{"name":"Women and Birth","volume":"38 2","pages":"Article 101888"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Women and Birth","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519225000228","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/3 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Education is an essential component of antenatal care, yet little is known about Australian women’s experience of breastfeeding education.

Aim

This study aimed to explore women’s experiences of breastfeeding education accessed during the antenatal period and the impact on breastfeeding preparedness.

Methods

An online survey collected both qualitative and quantitative data over a one-month period. Quantitative data was analysed for descriptive statistics and open text questions were qualitatively analysed for themes.

Findings

In total 182 participants accessed the survey and 178 completed. Most participants attended breastfeeding education at a public hospital. Some received education free of charge and others had to pay. Breastfeeding education was absent from some antenatal education classes and where it was included there was a lack of standardised content. The benefits of breastfeeding and the importance of skin-to-skin contact were covered regularly, but instructions on how to breastfeed were limited.

Two overarching themes were identified. The first “I didn't feel prepared for breastfeeding” included six sub- themes describing a feeling of being deceived about how easy breastfeeding would be. The second smaller theme “I felt prepared for breastfeeding” reflected more positive experiences. Within this theme were three subthemes including the importance of a skilled educator, learning techniques and the educator’s breastfeeding knowledge.

Conclusion

Women described feeling unprepared for the reality of breastfeeding and sought realistic and practical breastfeeding education. Coverage of breastfeeding was inconsistent, especially breastfeeding challenges. Future policy guidelines on breastfeeding education must be consistent and include minimum information standards.

查看原文本刊更多论文

“他们描绘了一幅美好的景象，但我更愿意听到现实”——澳大利亚妇女在产前母乳喂养教育方面的经历

教育是产前保健的一个重要组成部分，但对澳大利亚妇女母乳喂养教育的经验知之甚少。目的探讨妇女产前接受母乳喂养教育的经历及其对母乳喂养准备的影响。方法通过在线调查，收集为期一个月的定性和定量数据。定量数据进行描述性统计分析，开放式文本问题对主题进行定性分析。共有182人参与了调查，其中178人完成了调查。大多数参与者在公立医院接受母乳喂养教育。有些人免费接受教育，有些人则要付费。一些产前教育课程没有母乳喂养教育，即使有，也缺乏标准化的内容。母乳喂养的好处和定期皮肤接触的重要性都有涉及，但关于如何母乳喂养的指导有限。确定了两个总体主题。第一个“我没有为母乳喂养做好准备”包括六个子主题，描述了一种被欺骗的感觉，认为母乳喂养是多么容易。第二个较小的主题“我为母乳喂养做好了准备”反映了更积极的经历。在这个主题中有三个次级主题，包括熟练教育者的重要性、学习技巧和教育者的母乳喂养知识。结论妇女对母乳喂养的现实感到措手不及，寻求现实、实用的母乳喂养教育。母乳喂养的覆盖率不一致，尤其是母乳喂养的挑战。今后关于母乳喂养教育的政策指导方针必须是一致的，并包括最低的信息标准。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Women and Birth NURSING-OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

CiteScore

7.20

自引率

13.20%

发文量

371

审稿时长

27 days

期刊介绍： Women and Birth is the official journal of the Australian College of Midwives (ACM). It is a midwifery journal that publishes on all matters that affect women and birth, from pre-conceptual counselling, through pregnancy, birth, and the first six weeks postnatal. All papers accepted will draw from and contribute to the relevant contemporary research, policy and/or theoretical literature. We seek research papers, quality assurances papers (with ethical approval) discussion papers, clinical practice papers, case studies and original literature reviews. Our women-centred focus is inclusive of the family, fetus and newborn, both well and sick, and covers both healthy and complex pregnancies and births. The journal seeks papers that take a woman-centred focus on maternity services, epidemiology, primary health care, reproductive psycho/physiology, midwifery practice, theory, research, education, management and leadership. We also seek relevant papers on maternal mental health and neonatal well-being, natural and complementary therapies, local, national and international policy, management, politics, economics and societal and cultural issues as they affect childbearing women and their families. Topics may include, where appropriate, neonatal care, child and family health, women’s health, related to pregnancy, birth and the postpartum, including lactation. Interprofessional papers relevant to midwifery are welcome. Articles are double blind peer-reviewed, primarily by experts in the field of the submitted work.