Breastfeeding beyond the big smoke: Who provides support for mothers in rural Western Australia?

Abstract

Antenatal group education is effective in supporting breastfeeding duration for rural women and should be a key priority for rural health service providers. Health professionals are common sources of breastfeeding support postnatally, however creating and maintaining positive and supportive social networks for mothers might also contribute to increasing the proportion of rural infants who meet the World Health Organization guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding.

Pharmacotherapy Literacy of Parents in the Rural and Urban Areas of Serbia—Are There Any Differences?

“…In addition, more parents from rural areas were unemployed, and less likely to breastfeed children. This was in line with a study conducted in Australia, where health professionals were the main supporters of breastfeeding [30]. Moreover, in rural populations from Serbia, parents are taking their children to the doctor in fewer cases.…”

Breastfeeding Without Nursing: “If Only I’d Known More about Exclusively Pumping before Giving Birth”

“…Although several researchers have concluded that breastfeeding outcomes are improved following prenatal education (Cox et al, 2017), Lumbiganon and colleagues' (2016)…”

“…Whereas sources of infant feeding information mirror those for general motherhood topics, the attitudes and knowledge of those around mothers play a large role in shaping information behavior (Rollins et al, 2016; Spiro, 2016). Other sources of information about breastfeeding include community-based peer groups (Shakya et al, 2017), the infant’s grandmother(s) (Cox, Giglia, & Binns, 2017; Karmacharya, Cunningham, Choufani, & Kadiyala, 2017), and online social networks (Gray, 2013; McKeever & McKeever, 2017). Although a number of researchers have found that the most influential person in the initial decision to breastfeed is the infant’s father (Sherriff, Hall, & Panton, 2014), fathers have rarely been singled out as an information source.…”

“…Although several researchers have concluded that breastfeeding outcomes are improved following prenatal education (Cox et al, 2017), Lumbiganon and colleagues’ (2016) meta-analysis of 24 studies found that there was no conclusive evidence indicating that prenatal peer counseling, lactation consultation, or formal education increased breastfeeding initiation and duration. However, information about EPing can be distinguished from nursing information: Although most pregnant women know that nursing is one of their infant feeding options, many may not know that EPing is also an option.…”