Background: The support of her infant's father is one of the most important factors influencing a mother's breastfeeding success, and an increasing number of interventions are targeted towards fathers. Engaging fathers as agents to influence a maternal behavior is potentially problematic, yet few studies report on maternal experiences.
Objective: This study aims to explore mothers' perspectives of their partners' use of Milk Man, a father-focused breastfeeding smartphone app, and the acceptability of this approach.
Materials and methods: New mothers (N = 459) whose partners had access to the app completed a questionnaire at six weeks postpartum. These data were used to determine knowledge, use and perspectives of the app. A sentiment analysis was conducted on responses to an open-ended question seeking maternal perspectives of the app.
Results: Just over a quarter of mothers (28%) had been shown something from the app, and 37% had discussed something from Milk Man with their partner. There were 162 open-ended responses related to mothers' perspectives of the app. Relevant responses (n = 129) were coded to an overall sentiment node and then to a total of 23 child nodes (sub-nodes). Most comments were positive (94), with a smaller number either negative (25) or neutral (21). Negative comments related to the usability of the app and not its intent or content.
Conclusion: Mothers found the father-focussed breastfeeding app to be acceptable. When designing interventions targeting one group to affect the behaviour of another, inclusion of measures to gain the perspectives of both should be seen as an imperative.
What is already known on this subject?
Breastfeeding has significant health benefits for infants and mothers. Fathers are important supports for breastfeeding mothers and influence both the decision to breastfeed, and breastfeeding duration. Many father-focussed breastfeeding interventions have shown positive breastfeeding outcomes, but little is known about maternal perspectives of these interventions.
What this study adds?
This study adds to the literature by seeking maternal perspectives on a father-focussed breastfeeding intervention. It demonstrates that mothers found the intervention acceptable, and highlights the importance of including the perspectives of mothers on interventions designed to influence their behaviour, but targeted at their male partner.
Keywords: Breastfeeding; Father; Mobile health; Mother.
© 2023. The Author(s).