“Am I doing this wrong?” Breastfeeding mothers' use of an online forum

Abstract

As mothers seek out information around breastfeeding, many are turning to online message boards, listservs, or social media for advice. Babycenter.com, a parenting website with widespread use, hosts a Breastfeeding Support and Help community forum with over 140,000 users and more than one million conversation threads.The purpose of this study is to examine this online support forum to understand the information seeking and sharing practices of its users. We extracted a total of 258 original posts and 1,445 corresponding comments from Babycenter.com's breastfeeding forum posted over a 10-day period. Using content analysis, we coded the posts into 15 categories reflective of the types of information users were seeking.We then randomly selected 45 conversation threads across the most popular categories to further understand how users were sharing information. The most popular breastfeeding topics for which users sought out information included feeding challenges, supply issues, feeding schedule and duration, pumping, physical health, excretion issues, storing milk, nipple issues, and general breastfeeding questions. Participants elicited information from others using interviewing questions and built consensus around issues by agreeing with previous posts. They shared their knowledge and personal breastfeeding experiences and also provided encouragement to continue breastfeeding and overcome challenges. Online support forums are actively being used by breastfeeding mothers seeking information from others with similar experiences. This presents an important resource for breastfeeding mothers and may, therefore, be an important component of future breastfeeding interventions. KEYWORDSbreastfeeding confidence, breastfeeding duration, breastfeeding knowledge, breastfeeding promotion, breastfeeding support, qualitative methods

Second Opinions: Negotiating Agency in Online Mothering Forums

“…There are many websites that provide information that is meant simply to be passively consumed. However, social media platforms—such as blogs and online forums, go beyond passive relay of information by offering the opportunity for engagement and support (Baker & Yang, 2018; Hunter 2015; Bridges, 2016; Denton et al., 2020; Hudson, 2008; Johnson, 2015; Lebron et al., 2020; Rettberg, 2014; Ruthven et al., 2018; Teaford et al., 2019; Zhao & Basnyat, 2018; Zhu et al., 2019). These are spaces through which mothers can share personal narratives and foster connections with other mothers.…”

“…Previous research examining how mothers use online forums pre- and postpregnancy found that the interactions on these forums offer an important form of social support (Arnold, 2011; Chan, 2008; Denton et al., 2020; Hudson et al., 2008; Lebron et al., 2020; Pederson & Smithson, 2013; Ruthven et al., 2018; Teaford et al., 2019). Online discussion forums can be sources of information (both formal and informal) and emotional support throughout pregnancy as mothers navigate the challenges of parenting from the early postpartum days through to the toddler years (Drentea & Moren-Cross, 2011; Teaford et al., 2019).…”

“…They can be places where mothers go for general “advice, entertainment, debate, and the opportunity to compare experiences with other women” (Pederson & Smithson, 2013, p. 97). For example, Lebron et al. (2020) found that mothers used the online forum Baby Centre to share experiences about breastfeeding and offer support to others.…”

Response: Commentary: Consumer Reports of “Keto Flu” Associated With the Ketogenic Diet

“…Between January and September 2020 twelve publications listed on PubMed reported analyses of online forum/ discussion board content. These covered a variety of topics, including irritable bowel syndrome (2), ketamine use in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (3), and information seeking and sharing practices in breastfeeding mothers (4).…”

Content Analysis of Mothers’ Questions Related to Parenting Young Children in Internet Parenting Community

“…빠른 시간 내에 풍부한 정보를 얻을 수 있다는 장점이 있다 (Moon et al, 2019). Hong (2012a) (Kim et al, 2017 (Porter & Ispa, 2013) 을 수행하여 수유와 수면에 관한 질문이 가장 많았음을 확 인하였고, 모유수유 관련 질문 내용 분석 (Lebron et al, 2020) https://doi.org/10.21896/jksmch.2020.24.…”