Abstract
BackgroundThere is growing evidence that peer support programs may be effective in supporting breastfeeding mothers. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) (the RUBY study) that tested peer support in the Australian context found that infants of first-time mothers who received proactive telephone peer support were more likely to be receiving breastmilk at six months of age.MethodsThis qualitative sub-study of the RUBY RCT explores the experiences and views of peer volunteers who delivered the intervention. Focus groups were conducted with 17 peers from the RUBY RCT between November 2015 and March 2016. All had provided peer support to at least one mother.ResultsWe found that volunteers identified strongly with the mothers’ need for support when establishing breastfeeding. Key components of the support were strengthening the mothers’ self-belief through affirmation and sharing experiential knowledge. Volunteers found the role rewarding and personally therapeutic although some women reported challenges initiating and maintaining contact with some mothers. Data were analysed using a hybrid approach to thematic analysis combining inductive and deductive techniquesConclusionsBreastfeeding peer support programs are reliant on recruitment of motivated volunteers who can provide empathetic mother-to-mother support. This study provides important information regarding volunteers’ experiences that may support the upscaling of breastfeeding peer support for new mothers.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN 12612001024831.
Highlights
Women who breastfeed possess experiential and embodied knowledge that has the potential to benefit new breastfeeding mothers and extend the duration of breastfeeding [1]
Focus groups were conducted with 17 peers from the Ringing Up about Breastfeeding EarlY (RUBY) randomised controlled trial (RCT) between November 2015 and March 2016
Breastfeeding peer support programs are reliant on recruitment of motivated volunteers who can provide empathetic mother-to-mother support
Summary
Women who breastfeed possess experiential and embodied knowledge that has the potential to benefit new breastfeeding mothers and extend the duration of breastfeeding [1]. The Ringing Up about Breastfeeding EarlY (RUBY) trial was an Australian RCT which evaluated the effectiveness of breastfeeding peer support by telephone and found that providing first time mothers with telephone-based support from a peer with at least six months personal breastfeeding experience was positively associated with higher breastfeeding maintenance at six months postpartum (75% giving breast milk in the intervention group Vs 69% in the control group; Adjusted risk ratio 1 10; 95% CI 1 02, 1 18) [8] This is significant as previously, few interventions have been identified that increase breastfeeding duration in high income settings [7]. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) (the RUBY study) that tested peer support in the Australian context found that infants of first-time mothers who received proactive telephone peer support were more likely to be receiving breastmilk at six months of age
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