Breastfeeding Experiences of Mothers With Visual Impairment: A Scoping Review

Breastfeeding rates are lower for women with disabilities than for women without disabilities, and women with visual impairment may be discouraged from breastfeeding by health professionals or their families. Little is known about how women with visual impairments learn to breastfeed and their breastfeeding experiences. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and map available evidence regarding the experiences and needs of mothers with visual impairment in initiating, establishing and maintaining lactation and breastfeeding, as well as to examine the extent of existing knowledge regarding supports and services currently available to meet those needs. We searched the following: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Database and JBI Evidence Synthesis, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Grey literature sources were searched via Google Scholar. Initial searches, after removal of duplicates, title and abstract screening, resulted in 39 articles for full text screening, of which, 17 met the inclusion criteria. Data were analysed using thematic synthesis. Studies came from seven countries and were mostly qualitative. Two analytical themes were generated: Visual impairment increases women's difficulty in learning to breastfeed, and Peer support is essential for visually impaired mothers, as HCPs provide poor support for breastfeeding. Visual impairment adds an extra layer of difficulty when women are learning to breastfeed. Barriers are created when systems and structures did not accommodate a woman's inability to see. Lack of access to information in nonvisual formats, limited transport to attend appointments and unsupportive attitudes from healthcare workers were common.