Menu
Job Title
Program Manager
Academic Rank
Staff/Research Assistant
Department
MedicinePediatric Newborn Medicine
Authors
Hanna Amanuel, Maria Fernanda Ortega, Elena Padilla-Garza, Jenna Cohn, Ingrid Olson, Lian Folger, Sylva Yeghiayan, Grace Allen, Barbara Katz, Sharlay Butler, Sarbattama Sen, Anne CC Lee
Principal Investigator
Anne CC Lee
Categories
Tags
The study objectives are to investigate (i) facilitators and barriers to exclusive breastfeeding (EBF); (ii) experiences of in-hospital lactation counseling (LC); and (iii) suggestions to improve support for Black, Latinx, and Southeast Asian birthing parents. 24 semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 10 Black parents, 15 Latinx parents (2 identify as Black and 10 with Spanish language preference), and 2 Southeast Asian parents at 2 – 6 months postpartum. Transcripts were coded inductively using Nvivo, from which themes were formulated. Most participants (16) intended to exclusively breastfeed at delivery, 8 of whom were EBF. At an interpersonal level, prior feeding experiences, partner and family support, and online support enabled successful breastfeeding. At an institutional level, most participants felt listened to by clinicians; however, 8 parents reported delays to inpatient LC and 3 parents reported racist care. At a structural level, pregnancy leave, work environments, the national formula shortage, and programs like WIC play a critical role in shaping feeding experiences. Areas to improve support include: invest in anti-racism work among staff; provide linguistically concordant counseling; recruit and support Black, Latinx, and other minoritized staff; reduce delays to in-hospital LC; incorporate mental health; provide outpatient support; and help navigate work-related barriers.
The goals are to understand (i) the factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding (EBF); (ii) experiences of in-hospital lactation counseling (LC); and (iii) ways to improve support for Black, Latinx, and Southeast Asian birthing parents. We interviewed 24 parents over the phone: 10 Black parents, 15 Latinx parents (2 identify as Black and 10 have Spanish language preference), and 2 Southeast Asian parents. Transcripts were coded using the software Nvivo, from which the team came up with themes. Most participants (16) intended to exclusively
breastfeed at delivery, 8 of whom were EBF. At an interpersonal level, past feeding experiences, social support, and online support helped parents breastfeed. At the hospital, while most participants felt listened to by clinicians, 8 parents reported delays to inpatient LC and 3 parents reported racist care. Outside of the hospital, pregnancy leave, work environments, the national formula shortage, and programs like WIC play an important role in parents’ feeding experiences. Ways to improve support include: invest in anti-racism work among all staff; provide counseling in patients’ preferred languages; recruit and support Black, Latinx, and other minoritized staff; reduce delays to in-hospital LC; include mental health counseling; support parents after delivery; and help with work-related barriers.
