Abstract
BackgroundThe migratory flows in Spain have changed due to the arrival of a diverse migrant population. Among the new migrants the Latino collective predominate with more than half being women of childbearing age. There are no previous studies exploring breastfeeding experiences of migrants in a country where their mother tongue is spoken. This study aimed to explore Latina migrants’ breastfeeding experiences in a Spanish-speaking country.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study was carried out in the main province in southern Andalusia between November 2019 and June 2020. The study used intentional sampling. The study participants were contacted by video calls and data were collected through a semi-structured in-depth interview (n = 19). The interviews were transcribed and analysed by thematic analysis.ResultsThe nineteen participants were aged between 22 and 43 years old and came from six different countries in Latin America. The two main categories that emerged were breastfeeding facilitators and barriers, divided into ten interrelated sub-categories: working conditions; precarious socioeconomic conditions; lack of support (health professionals, family and society); physiological changes, pain and fatigue; ignorance and wrong beliefs; support networks (partner, health professionals and family); host country versus home country; religious practices/worship; appropriate attitude, knowledge and experience; and breastfeeding support groups. Most of the study participants stated that their breastfeeding experiences were influenced by barriers such as work and by facilitators such as peer support.ConclusionsMore support from caregivers and more sensitivity to cultural diversity were demanded by the women and well-trained professionals are needed to enable breastfeeding for a longer time. This paper provides caregivers, such as nurses, more knowledge about the care demanded by migrant women to ensure a longer breastfeeding experience.
Highlights
The migratory flows in Spain have changed due to the arrival of a diverse migrant population
The Latin immigrant population is of childbearing age when they migrate to Spain [4]
There was heterogeneity of home countries with Peru being the most common (Table 2). Those mothers who had a longer breastfeeding duration were associated with an advanced educational level, multiparity, legal status at the time the baby was born, and participating actively in the Breastfeeding Support Group
Summary
The migratory flows in Spain have changed due to the arrival of a diverse migrant population. This study aimed to explore Latina migrants’ breastfeeding experiences in a Spanishspeaking country. According to the latest WHO report by country, there is 68.4% exclusive breastfeeding in Spain at 6 weeks postpartum which gradually decreases, reaching 24.7% at 6 months [2]. Latina immigrants in Spain are more likely to breastfeed than Spanish women [5,6,7,8]. Previous studies have identified barriers and facilitators unique to Latina women living in non-Spanish-speaking countries [9]. There are no studies exploring the experiences of Latina women immigrants in a Spanishspeaking country [10]. The aim of this study is to explore Latina migrants’ breastfeeding experience in a Spanish-speaking country
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