Facilitation and Barriers to Breastfeeding in the NICU

As the objective of this study is to describe the breastfeeding goals of mothers and their perceptions of breastfeeding support in the NICU, this study will follow a descriptive, qualitative design. Mothers of preterm newborns in the Royal Victoria Hospital will participate in a semi-structured interview about their breastfeeding goals and what they perceived to be facilitators and barriers to achieving their intended goals. During the interviews, the mothers will be asked a set of socio-demographic questions, open-ended questions about their breastfeeding goals, and open-ended questions about their perceptions of barriers and facilitators to meeting these goals in the NICU Participants may also receive one follow-up phone call to clarify their responses to the questions or to validate the information obtained from the interview.

Inclusion criteria

• have one (or more) infant(s) currently admitted in the NICU at the RVH;
• intended to provide breast milk to their infant(s);
• are able to speak English; and
• are willing to be audiotaped during the interview.

Exclusion criteria

Include mothers who:

• never intended to breastfeed;
• have high risk social situations (for example, known maternal mental illness; involvement of youth protection; known alcohol and drug abuse; adoption; identified congenital anomalies);
• gave birth at term; and
• have infants with significant birth defects or serious medical conditions in addition to prematurity.