This work will present a proposal for research looking at the issue of Irish women’s experiences of the initiation of breastfeeding on the labour ward. According to the National Perinatal Reporting System present in Ireland, it is known that, currently, only around 47% of Irish women initiate breastfeeding and it is hoped that this research can help to improve on this figure, given the health benefits, to mother and child, of breastfeeding. This research topic has been chosen as it is not a well researched area and the proposed research would, therefore, address a gap in the research.
Research question
The main research question that will be addressed in the proposed research is, “What are women’s experiences of the initiation of breastfeeding on the labour ward?”.
Research aims
The main aims of the proposed research are to undertake research to answer the research question that is proposed and to understand, through this, what measures might be taken to encourage a higher level of initiation of breastfeeding across women on the labour ward.
Research objectives
The main objectives of the research are, then, to:
1. Undertake a comprehensive literature review to understand what previous research has concluded about this issue
2. Undertake research to explore the proposed research question
3. As a result of the findings, make suggestions as to how to encourage a higher level of initiation of breastfeeding across women on the labour ward.
Literature review
Following searches of various online bibliographic databases including CinHal and PubMed, the literature review was compiled. The key terms and key words used for each search included ‘Breastfeeding inititation’, ‘Breastfeeding duration’ and ‘Breastfeeding Ireland’. Each of these key words and key terms were inputted in to the databases and the returns assessed manually for their relevance to the proposed literature review. The most relevant articles returned following this search form the basis of the literature review to be presented in this section.
Atchan (2011) discusses the fact that breastfeeding is the biological feeding norm for human babies, yet how many women choose not to breastfeed their newborn children, preferring, instead, to feed them with artificial baby milks which have demonstrated risks. As Atchan et al. (2011) discuss, around 10% of women on labour wards decide not to initiate breastfeeding, there being a variety of reasons for this. The first theme that will be addressed within the literature review is, therefore, what reasons are given for not initiating breastfeeding. This, obviously, forms part of the experience of women who initiate breastfeeding on labour wards, as the research in this area looks, specifically, at the decision-making process, and the experiences, of all women who think about initiating breastfeeding on the labour ward.
As Kong and Lee (2004) discuss in their research on the factors influencing the decision to breastfeed, international studies have consistently shown a low prevalence and short duration of breastfeeding in many women, with studies having identified several factors related to this low rate of initiation and short duration of breastfeeding. As Kong and Lee (2004) discuss, via a systematic literatura review format, these factors can be divided in to personal, social, cultural, facilities and environmental and other factors contributing to women’s decisions to breastfeed. Kong and Lee (2004) undertook research across 230 first-time mothers 24-48 hours after delivery of their child, using both quantitative and qualitative methodology to determine why the mothers decided not to initiate breastfeeding for their newborn child. This methodology is, therefore, sound, being based on a rigorous methodological approach. As Kong and Lee (2004) discuss, their results indicated that “…personal, cultural, social, and environmental factors are common influencing factors in the decision to breastfeed”.
It was found that the mother’s knowledge and attitudes, followed by husband’s support, were identified as most important in influencing infant feeding choice, with a confessed lack of knowledge of breastfeeding, on the part of the mother, being directly related to a failure to initiate breastfeeding. This research clearly shows, therefore, that a mother’s experience of initiating breastfeeding on the labour ward is influenced by a variety of factors, including personal, social, cultural and environmental factors. As the research showed, women’s experiences of initiating breastfeeding on a labour ward depends greatly on their own personal beliefs regar
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