Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers
Abstract The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on breastfeeding (BF) practices in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is not well understood. Modifications in BF guidelines and delivery platforms for breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic are hypothesised to have affected BF practic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13500 |
| _version_ | 1797690629289934848 |
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| author | Scott B. Ickes Hellen Lemein Kelly Arensen Joyceline Kinyua Donna M. Denno Hannah K. Sanders Judd L. Walson Stephanie L. Martin Ruth Nduati Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist |
| author_facet | Scott B. Ickes Hellen Lemein Kelly Arensen Joyceline Kinyua Donna M. Denno Hannah K. Sanders Judd L. Walson Stephanie L. Martin Ruth Nduati Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist |
| author_sort | Scott B. Ickes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on breastfeeding (BF) practices in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is not well understood. Modifications in BF guidelines and delivery platforms for breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic are hypothesised to have affected BF practices. We aimed to understand the experiences with perinatal care, BF education and practice among Kenyan mothers who delivered infants during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We conducted in‐depth key informant interviews with 45 mothers who delivered infants between March 2020 and December 2021, and 26 health care workers (HCW) from four health facilities in Naivasha, Kenya. While mothers noted that HCWs provided quality care and BF counselling, individual BF counselling was cited to be less frequent than before the pandemic due to altered conditions in health facilities and COVID‐19 safety protocols. Mothers stated that some HCW messages emphasised the immunologic importance of BF. However, knowledge among mothers about the safety of BF in the context of COVID‐19 was limited, with few participants reporting specific counselling or educational materials on topics such as COVID‐19 transmission through human milk and the safety of nursing during a COVID‐19 infection. Mothers described COVID‐19‐related income loss and lack of support from family and friends as the major challenge to practising exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) as they wished or planned. COVID‐19 restrictions limited or prevented mothers’ access to familial support at facilities and at home, causing them stress and fatigue. In some cases, mothers reported job loss, time spent seeking new means of employment and food insecurity as causes for milk insufficiency, which contributed to mixed feeding before 6 months. The COVID‐19 pandemic created changes to the perinatal experience for mothers. While messages about the importance of practising EBF were provided, altered HCW education delivery methods, reduced social support and food insecurity limit EBF practices for mothers in this context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T02:02:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3ff9b762fc5a4cef8da4a24792367097 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1740-8695 1740-8709 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T02:02:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-3ff9b762fc5a4cef8da4a247923670972023-09-07T12:25:29ZengWileyMaternal and Child Nutrition1740-86951740-87092023-10-01194n/an/a10.1111/mcn.13500Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workersScott B. Ickes0Hellen Lemein1Kelly Arensen2Joyceline Kinyua3Donna M. Denno4Hannah K. Sanders5Judd L. Walson6Stephanie L. Martin7Ruth Nduati8Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist9Department of Biological and Health Sciences Wheaton College Wheaton Illinois USAKenya Medical Research Institute Nairobi KenyaDepartment of Biological and Health Sciences Wheaton College Wheaton Illinois USAKenya Medical Research Institute Nairobi KenyaDepartment of Health Systems and Population Health University of Washington Seattle Washington USADepartment of Biological and Health Sciences Wheaton College Wheaton Illinois USADepartment of Global Health University of Washington Seattle Washington USADepartment of Nutrition, Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USADepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health University of Nairobi Nairobi KenyaDepartment of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina USAAbstract The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on breastfeeding (BF) practices in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is not well understood. Modifications in BF guidelines and delivery platforms for breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic are hypothesised to have affected BF practices. We aimed to understand the experiences with perinatal care, BF education and practice among Kenyan mothers who delivered infants during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We conducted in‐depth key informant interviews with 45 mothers who delivered infants between March 2020 and December 2021, and 26 health care workers (HCW) from four health facilities in Naivasha, Kenya. While mothers noted that HCWs provided quality care and BF counselling, individual BF counselling was cited to be less frequent than before the pandemic due to altered conditions in health facilities and COVID‐19 safety protocols. Mothers stated that some HCW messages emphasised the immunologic importance of BF. However, knowledge among mothers about the safety of BF in the context of COVID‐19 was limited, with few participants reporting specific counselling or educational materials on topics such as COVID‐19 transmission through human milk and the safety of nursing during a COVID‐19 infection. Mothers described COVID‐19‐related income loss and lack of support from family and friends as the major challenge to practising exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) as they wished or planned. COVID‐19 restrictions limited or prevented mothers’ access to familial support at facilities and at home, causing them stress and fatigue. In some cases, mothers reported job loss, time spent seeking new means of employment and food insecurity as causes for milk insufficiency, which contributed to mixed feeding before 6 months. The COVID‐19 pandemic created changes to the perinatal experience for mothers. While messages about the importance of practising EBF were provided, altered HCW education delivery methods, reduced social support and food insecurity limit EBF practices for mothers in this context.https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13500COVID‐19maternal employmentsocial support |
| spellingShingle | Scott B. Ickes Hellen Lemein Kelly Arensen Joyceline Kinyua Donna M. Denno Hannah K. Sanders Judd L. Walson Stephanie L. Martin Ruth Nduati Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers Maternal and Child Nutrition COVID‐19 maternal employment social support |
| title | Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers |
| title_full | Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers |
| title_fullStr | Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers |
| title_short | Perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from Kenyan mothers and healthcare workers |
| title_sort | perinatal care and breastfeeding education during the covid 19 pandemic perspectives from kenyan mothers and healthcare workers |
| topic | COVID‐19 maternal employment social support |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13500 |
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