Women's Breastfeeding Support Experiences in Ireland: A Qualitative Framework Analysis.

Only 27 of the 86 women who consented completed at least one diary entry, and the reasons for the missing entries were not known. No age, marital status, education, or other demographic data were collected, so the findings cannot be linked to a described participant profile. Most women provided antenatal entries only; only nine provided postpartum data and just two provided both periods, so the study captures little postpartum experience for many participants. The sample was a convenience sample from one hospital in the south of Ireland, and the authors note it may not have included non-traditional or LGBTQ families. Only women who could read and write English were eligible, so experiences of women who could not read English are absent. Participants were not asked to record the context of each interaction, and suggested positive-to-negative ratings were not required, so the diary text alone carries the interpretation. Reminders were sent to maximize participation, but the authors state that depth of data was not achieved.

Do not read this as evidence that specific breastfeeding support messages improve breastfeeding rates. The study is a qualitative analysis of 27 women's diary entries, did not test an intervention or compare groups, and cannot separate the contribution of any single interaction.