Date of Award

11-29-2021

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MSc in Nursing

First Advisor

Dr Rafat Jan

Second Advisor

M Kiran Mubeen

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Extensive research on breastfeeding has drawn a consensus that breastfeeding is crucial for infants’ and mothers’ health. Despite the WHO guidelines, the sustainability of breastfeeding has always remained a concern. and the outbreak of COVID-19 further raised this concern in terms of the safety of breastfeeding when the mother is infected. International organizations (WHO, CDC, AAP, ICM) recommend providing breastmilk to the baby either through breastfeeding or Expressed Breast Milk, but breastfeeding practices still could not be preserved during the pandemic.
/="/">Purpose: The study aimed to explore breastfeeding experiences of COVID-19 positive mothers.
/="/">Methodology: A descriptive exploratory study design was employed. Semi-structured interviews of 11 COVID-19 positive lactating mothers, selected through purposive and snowball sampling were conducted. Content analysis was done to extract themes.
/="/">Findings: On content analysis, two major themes appeared. Theme one was “effects of COVID-19 on breastfeeding”. This theme discussed the breastfeeding preferences of COVID-19 positive mothers during and post quarantine, ambiguity regarding the breastfeeding guidelines during disease, the role that their family played either supportive or otherwise and voices of mothers based on their experiences as a way forward. Theme two was “Apprehensions of COVID-19”. This theme discussed the mothers’ and health care providers' fear of infection transmission to the fetus and themselves, respectively. Further, it discussed the insecurities that mothers experienced related to COVID-19.
/="/">Conclusion: Most of the mothers could not initiate breastfeeding and separated immediately from their newborns soon after birth when they were found to be COVID-19 positive. Their motivation to breastfeed was compromised because of a lack of support by health care providers and family, and longtime separation from babies. Moreover, the unavailability of proper guidelines at the start of the pandemic disrupted the situation further. Also, mothers experienced indifferent behaviours of health care providers related to fear of acquiring an infection. They were nervous and anxious about the condition of the baby and mother-child bonding. They also spent longer quarantine consisting of 20- 25 days. The study concluded that strict measures be implemented to provide every possible support to mothers for the execution of breastfeeding during the pandemic.

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