How to promote exclusive breastfeeding in Ireland: a qualitative study on views of Chinese immigrant mothers

Abstract

Background: The exclusive breastfeeding rate in Ireland is very low with extremely slow annual growth. The population of immigrants in Ireland is increasing. Improving exclusive breastfeeding practice among immigrants may contribute to the overall improvement of exclusive breastfeeding rates in Ireland. This study was conducted to elicit recommendations on improving exclusive breastfeeding rate for six months among Chinese immigrants in Ireland.Methods: Fourteen semi-structured in-depth individual interviews were conducted with Chinese immigrant mothers resident in Ireland, who breastfed exclusively for four to six months.Results: Themes generated from thematic content analyses were 1) recommendation for mothers: improve self-intention to breastfeed exclusively and self-efficacy, be financially secure before pregnancy, and obtain breastfeeding information proactively. 2) Recommendation for family members, employers and colleagues, and health care professionals: family members should offer sufficient support. Employers should provide hygienic places for breastmilk storage, and set up breastfeeding rooms and nurseries. Irish hospitals need to advocate exclusive breastfeeding, recruit and train multilingual health care professionals, and combine breastfeeding knowledge with practice in the prenatal education. 3) Recommendation for the government: set up breastfeeding rooms and dedicated rooms for breastfeeding groups, and increase the publicity and visibility of breastfeeding in multiple languages. An independent welfare policy for immigrants was also recommended.Conclusions: The key findings emerging from this study may be considered in the development of breastfeeding promotion strategies in Ireland. Our findings could also have implications for other English-speaking countries with low rates of exclusive breastfeeding.