Infant feeding experiences and concerns among caregivers early in the COVID‐19 State of Emergency in Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract

The global emergency caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted access to goods and services such as health care and social supports, but the impact on infant feeding remains unclear. Thus, the objective of this study was to explore how caregivers of infants under 6 months of age perceived changes to infant feeding and other food and health-related matters during the COVID-19 State of Emergency in Nova Scotia, Canada. Four weeks after the State of Emergency began, between 17 April and 15 May 2020, caregivers completed this online survey, including the Perceived Stress Scale. Participants (n = 335) were 99% female and mostly White (87%). Over half (60%) were breastfeeding, and 71% had a household income over CAD$60,000. Most participants (77%) received governmental parental benefits before the emergency, and 59% experienced no COVID-19-related economic changes. Over three quarters of participants (77%) scored moderate levels of perceived stress. Common themes of concern included social isolation, COVID-19 infection (both caregiver and infant), and a lack of access to goods, namely, human milk substitutes ('infant formula'), and services, including health care, lactation support, and social supports. Most COVID-19-related information was sought from the internet and social media, so for broad reach, future evidence-based information should be shared via online platforms. Although participants were experiencing moderate self-perceived stress and shared numerous concerns, very few COVID-19-related changes to infant feeding were reported, and there were few differences by socio-economic status, likely due to a strong economic safety net in this Canadian setting.

A review of the disruption of breastfeeding supports in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in five Western countries and applications for clinical practice

“…Our search strategy returned two Australian and/or N.Z. studies [ 42 , 43 ], two studies from the U.K. [ 44 , 45 ], one study from the U.S. [ 48 ], and two Canadian studies [ 51 , 52 ] that examined maternal experiences of breastfeeding during the pandemic.…”

“…In one Canadian province, a sample of 335 mothers with infants less than 6 months of age completed an online survey with open and close-ended questions [ 52 ]. Mothers in this sample reported negative experiences related to the pandemic such as no social support, difficulty receiving professional help with breastfeeding techniques over the phone, trouble accessing specialized infant formulas, and fear of developing low milk supply due to the stress of living in the pandemic.…”

“…Mothers from all five countries also reported positive experiences with breastfeeding during the pandemic lockdown, however, these were mentioned less frequently than negative experiences [ 42 – 44 , 48 , 51 , 52 ]. Commonly cited positive factors included more time to focus on breastfeeding, bonding with baby without distractions, fewer visitors, greater partner support and delay of return back to work.…”

“…The Australian and N.Z. search returned 28 results, of which two met inclusion criteria [ 42 , 43 ], the U.K. search returned 26 articles, of which two met inclusion criteria [ 44 , 45 ], the U.S. search returned 63 articles, of which six met inclusion criteria [ 5 , 46 – 50 ], and the Canadian search returned 29 articles, of which two met inclusion criteria [ 51 , 52 ]. Two additional articles on breastfeeding initiation and duration in the U.S. were identified through searching the references of the identified publications and through RSS alerts of newly published articles of breastfeeding during the pandemic [ 12 , 53 ].…”

Article: “Too Old” and “Too Cold”: Discomfort Towards Photographs of Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy and Public Breastfeeding in Nova Scotia, Canada

“…Dedicated spaces for breastfeeding, and tools to find safe places to breastfeed (e.g., the Feed Finder UK application) may help breastfeeding mothers feel more comfortable, but do not address the negative social norms around the practice in the general public. It is telling that some breastfeeding mothers in Nova Scotia reported positive experiences with isolation due to the COVID-19 emergency measures because there was no longer a need to breastfeed in public ( Fry et al, 2021 ).…”