Couples talk about breastfeeding: Interviews with parents about decision-making, challenges, and the role of fathers and professional support.

Despite health benefits, sustained breastfeeding rates remain low in the United States, and the role of partners in breastfeeding is not well understood. Using a grounded theory approach, the current qualitative study explored how couples communicate regarding breastfeeding decisions and challenges. Mother-father dyads ( = 16) completed individual semi-structured interviews 1 year after the birth of their first child. Following iterative qualitative analysis, three phases of breastfeeding communication emerged: and Findings underscore the complexity of defining the partner role in breastfeeding.