Tan May Loong, O'Sullivan Elizabeth J, Ho Jacqueline J, Omer-Salim Amal, McAuliffe Fionnuala M
Department of Paediatrics, RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus, Penang, Malaysia.
UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, National Maternity Hospital, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 13;20(1):e0317374. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317374. eCollection 2025.
The warm chain of support is the continuous enabling environment from the mother's first contact with healthcare professionals during early pregnancy, birth and immediate post-partum period, her transition from healthcare facility to home, through to work and the community at large. A breastfeeding-friendly city should be able to support a breastfeeding journey across the warm chain.
To determine breastfeeding women's perspective of an ideal breastfeeding-friendly city.
Between September 2021 and January 2022, twenty-two women who were breastfeeding or had ever breastfed in the last 5 years from Ireland and Malaysia were interviewed. A set of selection criteria was applied to ensure representation of a range of the characteristics known to be associated with breastfeeding success: diverse age groups, birth and breastfeeding experiences, culture and socioeconomical background. One-on-one semi-structured online interviews were conducted by the first author. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's Thematic Analysis framework.
One overarching theme of breastfeeding at the front and centre of the city, and three major themes were developed: 1. mothers feel supported when breastfeeding is prioritised; 2. when breastfeeding is visible in the environment, it becomes normalized; 3. there is a need to have seamless breastfeeding support across the continuum of the warm chain, and at all levels of society.
The findings demonstrated the importance of prioritized, and continuous support throughout the breastfeeding journey. The hopes and aspirations of a breastfeeding-friendly city expressed here would be useful for cities to consider when developing or implementing breastfeeding support programmes as well as guide development of indicators of a breastfeeding-friendly city.
支持的温暖链条是指从母亲在怀孕早期首次接触医护人员开始，贯穿分娩及产后即刻阶段，直至她从医疗机构过渡到家庭、工作场所及整个社区的持续有利环境。一个对母乳喂养友好的城市应能够在整个温暖链条上支持母乳喂养过程。
确定母乳喂养女性对理想的母乳喂养友好型城市的看法。
在2021年9月至2022年1月期间，对来自爱尔兰和马来西亚的22名正在母乳喂养或在过去5年内曾母乳喂养过的女性进行了访谈。采用了一套选择标准，以确保涵盖一系列已知与母乳喂养成功相关的特征：不同年龄组、分娩和母乳喂养经历、文化和社会经济背景。第一作者进行了一对一的半结构化在线访谈。数据使用布劳恩和克拉克的主题分析框架进行分析。
形成了一个将母乳喂养置于城市核心位置的总体主题以及三个主要主题：1. 当母乳喂养被优先考虑时，母亲们会感到得到支持；2. 当母乳喂养在环境中可见时，它就会变得常态化；3. 需要在温暖链条的整个连续过程以及社会各层面提供无缝的母乳喂养支持。
研究结果表明在整个母乳喂养过程中给予优先和持续支持的重要性。这里所表达的对母乳喂养友好型城市的希望和期望，将有助于城市在制定或实施母乳喂养支持计划时加以考虑，并指导母乳喂养友好型城市指标的制定。
