Breastfeeding initiation and support: A literature review of what women value and the impact of early discharge
Open accessAbstract
Problem Early discharge following birth has become an emerging phenomenon in many countries. It is likely early discharge has an impact on the establishment of breastfeeding.Objective To critically appraise the evidence on what women value in relation to breastfeeding initiation and support, and investigate the impact early discharge can have on these values.Method A literature search was conducted for publications since 2005 using the following databases: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, Scopus and PsycINFO; 21 primary articles were selected and included in the review.Findings There is no standard definition for 'early discharge' worldwide. Due to inconsistent definitions worldwide and minimal literature using a 24h definition, research defining early discharge as up to 72h postpartum is included. Seven key factors in relation to breastfeeding initiation and support following early discharge were identified, namely trust and security, consistent advice, practical breastfeeding support, breastfeeding education, comfortable environment, positive attitudes and emotional support, and individualised care.Conclusion The findings suggest individualised postnatal lengths of stay may be beneficial for the initiation of breastfeeding. Five values were not impacted by early discharge, but rather individual midwives' practice. There is consensus in the literature that early discharge promoted a comfortable environment to support breastfeeding initiation. Wide variations in the definition of early postnatal discharge made it difficult to draw influential conclusions. Therefore, further research is required.
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Domiciliary midwifery supports breastfeeding initiation and support, considering that most women are discharged before the proper onset of lactation.
“For the women, domiciliary midwifery supports breastfeeding initiation and support, considering that most women are discharged before the proper onset of lactation [14, 15].”
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- Authors
- James, L., Sweet, L., & Donnellan-Fernandez, R.
- Affiliations
- Flinders University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Sweet, Linda
- Venue
- Women and Birth
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-04
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 87-99
- ISSN
- 1871-5192 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2538421982
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 0.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- Locations
- Women and Birth (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Flinders Academic Commons (Flinders University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Breastfeeding Practices and Influences
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Keywords
- breastfeeding initiation, breastfeeding support, women's values, midwifery practice, breastfeeding education, emotional support, individualized care
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Breast Feeding, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Length of Stay, Mothers, Patient Discharge, Postnatal Care, Pregnancy, Postpartum Period
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