ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Birthmark Doula Collective, a cooperative that provides doula and lactation services in the Greater New Orleans area, mounted an emergency response after two Category 4 storms: Hurricane Laura (2020) and Hurricane Ida (2021). The response included activating a no-cost emergency perinatal and infant feeding hotline. Both disasters coincided with a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Louisiana. RESEARCH AIM: The aim of this study is to understand how an emergency perinatal and infant feeding hotline supported infant and young child feeding in emergencies during hurricanes in Louisiana. METHOD: This study used a cross-sectional, retrospective qualitative design in a population with low breastfeeding rates. We conducted a content analysis of 97 hotline call logs from Hurricanes Laura and Ida, focus groups with lactation support providers who staffed the hotline during either storm (n = 5), and interviews with mothers who called during Hurricane Ida (n = 2). Focus groups and interviews lasted 30 and 60 minutes, respectively. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. RESULTS: Call logs revealed infant feeding needs (e.g., mastitis, low milk supply, relactation, and infant formula requests) and non-infant feeding needs (e.g., infant supplies, perinatal and infant care referrals, shelter information). Infant formula was the most requested supply during both hurricanes. Maternal participants discussed family vulnerabilities during Hurricane Ida. Staff described training and strategies to provide support while maintaining their own well-being. CONCLUSION: Providing a free emergency hotline service is one way to support pregnant and postpartum people and their families seeking infant feeding advice, supplies, and support in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
ABSTRACT
In response to the cessation of in-person prenatal education services during the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted an evidence-based curriculum to a live virtual format entitled Ready, Set, Baby Live COVID-19 Edition (RSB Live). In a sample of 146 pregnant people, participation in RSB Live was associated with high levels of knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding, early infant hunger cues, and recommended maternity care practices, as well as high levels of satisfaction with adaptations to the session's content and virtual delivery. Participation was also associated with a significant increase in prenatal breastfeeding intention, a known predictor of breastfeeding outcomes. This study supports live, virtual education with a standardized curriculum as an effective and acceptable means of providing prenatal education.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Breast/Chestfeeding remains a public health issue for African Americans, and increased rates would mitigate many health disparities, thus promoting health equity. RESEARCH AIMS: To explore the interplay of generational familial roles and meaning (or value) ascribed to communicating infant feeding information across three generations. METHOD: This prospective, cross-sectional qualitative study used an asset-driven approach and was guided by Black Feminist Thought and Symbolic Interactionism. African American women (N = 35; 15 family triads/dyads), residing in the southeastern United States were interviewed. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The older two generations described their role using assertive yet nurturing terms, while the younger generation carefully discussed the flexibility between their familial roles. Emergent themes described the meaning each generation attributed to communicating infant feeding information: "My Responsibility," "Comforting," "Bonding Experience," "She Cared," and "Gained Wisdom." CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have potential to contribute to achieving health equity in African American families. Future breast/chestfeeding promotion efforts may benefit from reframing the current approach to including protection language and not solely support language. Lactation professionals should further recognize and support strengths and resource-richness of intergenerational infant feeding communication within African American families using strength-based, empowerment-oriented, and ethnically sensitive approaches.
Subject(s)
Black or African American , Breast Feeding , Communication , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Infant , Mothers , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
Objective: African American (AA) women look to their mother and maternal grandmother for parenting information and support; this intergenerational communication may reinforce or hinder breastfeeding practices. Rooted in Black Feminist Thought, this study's objective was to use an asset-based approach to explore infant feeding information shared across at least two generations of AA female family members. Materials and Methods: Fifteen family triads/dyads (N = 35 women), residing in Southeastern United States, participated in semistructured interviews in 2019. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Infant feeding information shared across generations was characterized into six themes: Guidance, Practical assistance, Reservations, Affirmations, Observational learning, and Perceived undermining. Typically, conversations occurred in one of four reproductive life stages (preconception, prenatal, birth, and post-birth) of the youngest adult generation and may have been influenced by each family's feeding history ("One generation breastfed," "Two generations breastfed," and "Three generations breastfed"). Notably, with each additional generation of breastfeeding experience, perceived undermining and reservation reporting decreased. In addition, families reclaimed and reconnected with ancestral breastfeeding practices. Conclusions: Findings suggest that every generation matters to breastfeeding behaviors in AA families. Therefore, nuanced, family-centered approaches should build on assets within AA families to support them in meeting their feeding goals. Practitioners should recognize the importance of oral tradition as a mode of transmitting infant feeding information among AAs and understand the influence of family feeding history in intergenerational infant feeding communication. When working with AAs, practitioners must be flexible, respectful, supportive, and actively learning about an individual's beliefs and culture, creating space to reframe, without judgment or paternalism.
