Aim: Little research has been done to investigate the influence of male family members' support for breastfeeding. This article considers the influence of male partners and other male family members on the initiation and duration of exclusive breastfeeding.
Methods: Thirty heterosexual New Zealand women who had identified in a short antenatal questionnaire that they intended to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months were recruited. The qualitative research included a face-to-face postpartum interview followed by monthly audio-recorded telephone interviews that stopped at 6 months. The participants' narratives were analysed using thematic analysis.
Key findings: Five key themes related to breastfeeding support from male family members were identified: a) male partners did not have enough knowledge about breastfeeding, b) male partners wanted to share infant feeding, c) participants received emotional and practical support from their male partners, d) male partners supported breastfeeding in public, e) some women received crucial breastfeeding support from male family members who were not the father of the baby.
Conclusion: Comments from participants suggest that some New Zealand men are actively involved in supporting breastfeeding in their nuclear and extended families. Several participants suggested that male support was as effective as support from female family members.