Expectations and Perspectives About Infant Feeding of Their First Child Among Rural Women

Abstract

Objective: To explore expectations and perspectives related to infant feeding of their first child among rural women.

Design: Qualitative descriptive.

Setting: Rural women who were first-time mothers (N = 18).

Methods: We recruited participants from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children clinics and a nurse home-visiting program in a midwestern U.S. state. Using the construct of habitus, we developed an interview guide and used semistructured interviews to explore the expectations and perspectives of participants regarding infant feeding of the first child. We analyzed the transcribed interviews using content analysis techniques to identify overall themes.

Results: We identified four overarching themes and associated subthemes that represented participants' expectations and perspectives: I'm Educated but Not So Much on Breastfeeding, This Is How It Is in a Small Town, I Had Expectations, and This Area Lacks Resources for Mothers.

Conclusion: Overall, participants had high expectations to breastfeed. However, most discontinued breastfeeding soon after giving birth due to a lack of pragmatic knowledge about how to breastfeed, poor understanding of infant nutritional needs in the first few weeks of life, and a nonsupportive habitus.

Keywords: United States; breastfeeding; decision-making; qualitative; rural.