The Impact of Traumatic Childbirth on Women’s Breastfeeding Experiences

Abstract

BackgroundResearchers are confirming that posttraumatic stress due to traumatic childbirth is significantly associated with lower rates of breastfeeding and low maternal attachment.PurposeThe purpose of this secondary qualitative data analysis was to identify metaphorical expressions women use to describe the impact their birth trauma had on their breastfeeding experiences.MethodsThe primary dataset used to conduct this analysis was a descriptive phenomenological study that focused on birth trauma and breastfeeding experiences of 52 women from New Zealand, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Metaphor Identification Procedure was used to identify metaphorical expressions.ResultsSix metaphors were identified. Breastfeeding after a traumatic birth is your head in a vise, an empty affair, mechanical, true grit, a guilt trip, and a form of forgiveness.ConclusionThe six metaphors provide a new voice for women who are attempting to breastfeed following a traumatic birth. Perinatal and neonatal nurses need to be attentive to any of the metaphors new mothers are using to help identify women struggling with the aftermath of birth trauma.