Mothers' breastfeeding attitudes when lactation overlaps with a new pregnancy

There is usually a strong cultural taboo when breastfeeding overlaps with pregnancy. A lot of mothers cease breastfeeding their infants when they conceive again due to social pressure, professional advice, or their own beliefs.The present research aimed to reveal the attitudes of mothers who conceived again while breastfeeding their infants and their experiences in this process.

The data of the study, were collected between November 2018 and March 2019 in Sakarya University Education and Research Hospital, Sakarya. The study conducted in 40 women in whom lactation overlapped with pregnancy, and the face-to-face interview technique was employed for data collection. Data were collected using an information form containing information about the participants and a semi-structured interview form. The interviews conducted were then examined using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods. The codes and themes were created using the NVIVO 9.0 program. In the report of this study, the Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was utilized as a guide.

The mean age of the mothers is 26.70±4.58 (min: 20, max: 36), 62.5% (n=25) of the mothers were in the third trimester. While 5% of the mothers (n=2) continued breastfeeding during pregnancy, 95% (n=38) ceased breastfeeding at certain periods of pregnancy. It was observed that the mothers who conceived again during the lactation period considerably hesitated how to act about breastfeeding, they were significantly influenced by the people in their environment concerning how to overcome this, and they were often misguided.

There is obviously an urgent need for evidence-based studies on the subject. Studies to be carried out in this regard will increase the self-confidence of healthcare professionals and will enable them to perform effective training and counseling on the subject.