Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Int Breastfeed J. 2022 Apr 22;17(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s13006-022-00476-7.
The RUBY randomised controlled trial was found to be effective in promoting breastfeeding continuation, in the setting of a high income country, through a program of proactive telephone-based peer support in the first 6 months postpartum. This paper explores women's experiences of receiving the peer support intervention in the RUBY trial.
Ten in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted between December 2015 and November 2016 in Metropolitan Melbourne, and regional Victoria, Australia. Participants were women who received the peer support intervention in the RUBY trial and were between 11 and 15 months postpartum at the time of interview. Interviews were underpinned by social support theories and were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
A global theme of 'non-judgemental support and guidance' was identified, which included five organising themes. Four of the organising themes centred on the support from the peer, in which women felt the support was a 'positive experience with empathy and understanding', 'non-judgemental', 'practical advice', and a 'social connection that was more than just breastfeeding'. In contrast to the support from peers was the theme 'not all support from family and friends is supportive'.
Participants, including those who considered that they had adequate and available family and friend support for breastfeeding, valued and appreciated the non-judgemental, empathetic and understanding support from peers. This support, facilitated by the anonymity of the telephone-based program, allowed open and honest conversations, normalising women's experiences and helping them feel less alone in their challenges with breastfeeding and transition to motherhood. These findings can inform the design, and upscaling, of innovative and sustainable peer support models, ensuring delivery of effective and engaging support with a broad population reach.
RUBY 随机对照试验在高收入国家通过在产后 6 个月内开展积极的电话同伴支持项目，被证实能有效促进母乳喂养的持续。本研究旨在探索女性在 RUBY 试验中接受同伴支持干预的体验。
2015 年 12 月至 2016 年 11 月期间，在澳大利亚墨尔本大都市区和维多利亚州偏远地区，对 10 名接受 RUBY 试验中同伴支持干预的产后 11-15 个月的女性进行了 10 次深入的面对面访谈。访谈基于社会支持理论，并采用归纳主题分析方法进行分析。
确定了一个总体主题为“无评判的支持和指导”，包括 5 个组织主题。其中 4 个组织主题集中在同伴支持上，女性认为这种支持是一种“充满同理心和理解的积极体验”、“无评判”、“实用建议”和“超越母乳喂养的社交联系”。与同伴支持形成对比的是“并非所有来自家人和朋友的支持都是支持性的”这一主题。
参与者，包括那些认为自己有足够和可利用的家庭和朋友支持母乳喂养的参与者，重视和欣赏来自同伴的无评判、有同理心和理解的支持。这种支持，通过电话项目的匿名性得以实现，促进了开放和诚实的对话，使女性的体验正常化，并帮助她们在母乳喂养和过渡到母亲身份时感到不那么孤单。这些发现可以为创新和可持续的同伴支持模式的设计和推广提供信息，确保为广大人群提供有效和吸引人的支持。
