Hope in breastfeeding in the context of breastfeeding counseling: a qualitative analysis based on the Multidimensional Model of Hope.
Allison Scholler de Castro Villas Boas, Monika Wernet, Mariana Torreglosa Ruiz and 4 others
PMID 42696714WHAT IT FOUND
Women who received breastfeeding counselling from a nurse described the counsellor’s reassurance and practical help as sustaining hope through pain, family judgment, and work pressures.
Key findings
01Breastfeeding counselling was described as a source of support that helped women cope with fear, distress, and doubts, and that provided practical interventions tailored to each woman.
02Women maintained hope by framing pain, sleep loss, and self-care sacrifice as altruistic efforts for their child’s health.
03Support from partners and mothers helped women persist, while friends’ formula suggestions could increase anxiety and lead to early weaning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 11 women took part, all first-time mothers and from three centres, so the themes are not generalizable. All participants had received breastfeeding counselling and had agreed to the counselling pilot, so they may have been already inclined to breastfeed and grateful to the counsellor. Interviews happened about 15 months after counselling, so memory of the experience may be incomplete. Remote interviews reduced access to nonverbal cues.
Declared interests
The study received financial support from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that breastfeeding counselling causes increased exclusive breastfeeding. It is a qualitative study of 11 women who received counselling, not a trial outcome.