Feelings Toward Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Postpartum Women at a Baby-Friendly Health Facility in Peru
Milagros Alexandra Talledo Guerra, Oscar Fausto Munares GarcíaBackground:
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a key global strategy to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. Understanding women’s emotional experiences within these settings is essential to improve breastfeeding support and quality of care.
Objectives:
To explore feelings associated with exclusive breastfeeding among postpartum women receiving care at a Baby-Friendly health facility in Lima, Peru.
Methods:
A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in 2023 with 14 postpartum women. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, passive participant observation, and photographic narratives. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using ATLAS.ti (Version 9). Colaizzi’s phenomenological method guided the coding, categorization, and theme development. Methodological rigor was strengthened through triangulation of data collection techniques and analytic consensus among researchers.
Results:
Four themes emerged: (1) family support as an emotional and practical facilitator, (2) interactions with health professionals as a source of either tension or confidence, (3) emotional ambivalence toward exclusive breastfeeding, and (4) media and social networks as sources of motivation or uncertainty. Participants described exclusive breastfeeding as an emotionally demanding experience, often influenced by fatigue, pain, perceived low milk supply, and contradictory counseling.
Conclusions:
Exclusive breastfeeding is shaped by emotional, social, and institutional factors. Even in Baby-Friendly facilities, inconsistent counseling and guilt-based messages may reduce maternal confidence. Strengthening empathetic, consistent support and involving families may enhance women’s breastfeeding experiences.