Abstract
BackgroundBreastfeeding has a great effect on health promotion and disease prevention in premature infants. However, various factors affect the success of breastfeeding process in mothers. The present study aims to: a) explain breastfeeding experiences; b) assess the factors affecting breastfeeding self-efficacy; and c) present a guideline for promoting breastfeeding in mothers of premature infants.MethodsThis mixed-methods study with a sequential explanatory design consisted of three phases. The first phase is qualitative study to explore the breastfeeding experiences in mothers of premature infants. In this phase, the subjects will be selected through purposive sampling; moreover, in-depth individual interviewing will be used for data collection. Finally, the conventional content analysis approach will be employed for data analysis. The second phase is quantitative and will be used a cross-sectional approach to assess the association of the social determinants of health with breastfeeding self-efficacy in mothers of premature infants. In this phase, the multistage cluster sampling method will be used to select 360 subjects who will be visited healthcare centers in Tabriz, Iran. The third phase focused on developing strategies to increase the ability of mothers to breastfeed their premature infants, using the qualitative and quantitative results of previous phases, a review of the related literature, and the nominal group technique will be performed among experts.DiscussionThe present research is the first study that investigated the experiences of breastfeeding and factors influencing breastfeeding self-efficacy in mothers of premature infants. For the purposes of the study, the mixed methods approach will be used which aimed to develop strategies for the improvement of healthcare services in this regard. It is worth noting that there is no strategic guideline in Iran’s healthcare system for the improvement of breastfeeding, especially regarding mothers of premature infants. Therefore, it is hoped that the strategy proposed in the current study can lead to improvements in this regard.Ethical codeIR.TBZMED.REC.1398.100.
Highlights
Breast milk protects one’s health in childhood [1, 2] and provides health and wellness for the rest of one’s life [3]
The mothers of premature infants face various problems in the process of breastfeeding due to different causes that can lead to its interruption and cause problems, which have repercussions on the health and well-being of the infants [10, 12, 16]
Very few studies have focused on these problems and psychosocial needs and opinions of mothers
Summary
Breast milk protects one’s health in childhood [1, 2] and provides health and wellness for the rest of one’s life [3]. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding during the first 6 months is crucial for all the infants, especially premature ones [9] since they have a higher risk of death, complications, and behavioral problems, compared to the term infants [9,10,11]. Previous research suggests that multiple factors can be effective in initiating lactation and continuing the successful breastfeeding process [14,15,16] In this regard, the researchers have examined the impact of socioeconomic status, physicalpsychological status, social support, and self-efficacy. One of the strategies for achieving breastfeeding success is focusing on the affective factors; the experience of breastfeeding after preterm delivery has not been studied well [1, 10] Addressing this knowledge gap is very important in the context of caring and support planning. The present study aims to: a) explain breastfeeding experiences; b) assess the factors affecting breastfeeding self-efficacy; and c) present a guideline for promoting breastfeeding in mothers of premature infants
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