Factors Related to Breastfeeding Support in Lebanese Daycare Centers: A Qualitative Study among Daycare Directors and Employees

Abstract

Breastfeeding has an important impact on maternal and child health, and is affected by several factors influencing its initiation and continuation. This qualitative study aimed to assess the main promoting and hindering factors for breastfeeding support in Lebanese daycare centers (DCCs), through the perspective of their directors and employees. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with 13 directors and 9 employees. It explored the influence of various cognitive factors as well as different environment types (physical, economic, political, and sociocultural) on their breastfeeding support. Findings suggested the directors and employees valued improving breastfeeding support in DCCs and the physical set-up of the DCCs allowed for this. However, various other factors restricted their abilities to support breastfeeding in the DCC, including limited knowledge and training on the topic, absence of written internal policies on breastfeeding, lack of enforcement in the application of national policies, and the current mothers’ work policies that negatively influenced the decision to breastfeed. Improvements could be achieved through integrated interventions, targeting the interaction of internal DCCs factors and national and DCCs breastfeeding policies, as well as several social factors, to create a multilevel approach targeting breastfeeding continuation support in breastfeeding-friendly DCCs in Lebanon and the region.

Breastfeeding and infant care as ‘sexed’ care work: reconsideration of the three Rs to enable women’s rights, economic empowerment, nutrition and health

“…Where child care for infants is required, it is critical to ensure that this care is accessible, flexible and of good quality ( 192 ) and involves high levels of relational, loving, responsive, and stable care. Child carers need also to have skills in caring for breastfed infants ( 193 ).…”