Department of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Int Breastfeed J. 2020 May 12;15(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s13006-020-00281-0.
Breastfeeding in public continues to be contentious with qualitative evidence confirming that women face many challenges. It is therefore important to gain understanding of not only the challenges but also what women perceive is helpful to breastfeed in public.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with women living in Australia, Ireland or Sweden currently breastfeeding or having breastfed within the previous 2 years. Our objective was to explore and compare what women do when faced with having to breastfeed in the presence of someone they are uncomfortable with and what women think is helpful and challenging when considering whether to breastfeed in public. Data were collected in 2018 from an online survey over a 4 week period in each country. Content analysis revealed data similarity and theme names and definitions were negotiated until consensus was reached. How often each theme was cited was counted to report frequencies. Helpful and challenging aspects were also ranked by women to allow international comparison.
Ten themes emerged around women facing someone they were uncomfortable to breastfeed in the presence of with the most frequently cited being: 'made the effort to be discreet'; 'moved to a private location'; 'turned away' and 'just got on with breastfeeding'. Nine themes captured challenges to breastfeed in public with the following ranked in the top five across countries: 'unwanted attention'; 'no comfortable place to sit'; 'environment not suitable'; 'awkward audience' and 'not wearing appropriate clothing'. Nine themes revealed what was helpful to breastfeed in public with the top five: 'supportive network'; 'quiet private suitable environment'; 'comfortable seating'; 'understanding and acceptance of others' and 'seeing other mothers' breastfeed'.
When breastfeeding in public women are challenged by shared concerns around unwanted attention, coping with an awkward audience and unsuitable environments. Women want to feel comfortable when breastfeeding in a public space. How women respond to situations where they are uncomfortable is counterproductive to what they share would be helpful, namely seeing other mothers breastfeed. Themes reveal issues beyond the control of the individual and highlight how the support required by breastfeeding women is a public health responsibility.
母乳喂养在公共场所仍然存在争议，定性证据证实，女性面临许多挑战。因此，了解不仅是挑战，还有女性认为有助于在公共场所母乳喂养的因素非常重要。
对目前在澳大利亚、爱尔兰或瑞典母乳喂养或在过去 2 年内母乳喂养过的女性进行了一项横断面研究。我们的目的是探讨和比较女性在面对不熟悉的人在场时不得不母乳喂养时所做的事情，以及女性在考虑是否在公共场所母乳喂养时认为哪些因素是有帮助和有挑战性的。2018 年，在每个国家进行了为期 4 周的在线调查，收集了数据。内容分析揭示了数据的相似性，并协商了主题名称和定义，直到达成共识。通过计数来报告每个主题的出现频率。女性还对有帮助和有挑战性的方面进行了排名，以允许进行国际比较。
围绕着女性在不熟悉的人面前母乳喂养时出现了 10 个主题，最常被提及的是：“努力保持谨慎”、“转移到私人场所”、“被拒绝”和“继续母乳喂养”。9 个主题捕捉到了在公共场所母乳喂养的挑战，以下是在所有国家排名前五的主题：“不想要的关注”、“没有舒适的座位”、“环境不适合”、“尴尬的观众”和“没有穿合适的衣服”。9 个主题揭示了在公共场所母乳喂养有帮助的方面，排名前五的是：“支持网络”、“安静的私人合适环境”、“舒适的座位”、“他人的理解和接受”和“看到其他母亲母乳喂养”。
当女性在公共场所母乳喂养时，她们面临着一些共同的挑战，如不想要的关注、应对尴尬的观众和不适合的环境。女性希望在公共空间母乳喂养时感到舒适。女性对不舒服的情况的反应与她们认为有帮助的反应背道而驰，即看到其他母亲母乳喂养。这些主题揭示了超出个人控制的问题，并强调了母乳喂养女性所需的支持是公共卫生的责任。
