"I did a lot of Googling": A qualitative study of exclusive breastfeeding support through social media

Abstract

Background: Little qualitative research has been done to explore the quality of breastfeeding support through social media in New Zealand.

Aim: This article aims to explore the influence of social media on exclusive breastfeeding practice.

Methods: A qualitative study involving face-to-face postpartum interviews with 30 mothers who were recruited from the lower North Island of New Zealand. Each participant was followed via short monthly audio-recorded telephone interviews until giving up exclusive breastfeeding or until six months after the birth. The theories "strength of weak ties" and "landscapes of care" are applied to the thematic analysis of the interview material to illuminate the influence of social media on breastfeeding practices.

Results: Qualitative analysis of the interview material identified four themes: 1) Mothers need reliable online infant feeding information; 2) Smartphone apps can be a good option for promoting breastfeeding; 3) Information is accessed through weak ties among breastfeeding mothers on Facebook, and 4) the utility of geographically distant infant feeding support via Skype.

Discussion: Most participants sourced post-partum information and advice to support breastfeeding through the Internet, while those with geographically distant family members accessed emotional and practical breastfeeding support via Skype.

Implications for practice: Breastfeeding advocates should use social media to promote and support exclusive breast-feeding practice.

Conclusion: The influence of social media on breastfeeding points to the relational nature of breastfeeding which is embedded in 'real' world and virtual social networks as well as the cultural, geographic and social contexts of a mother's life.

Keywords: Breastfeeding Support; Exclusive Breastfeeding; Generation Y; Peer Support; Social Media; Social Networks.