Mothers’ experiences of support during a structured breastfeeding support programme in antenatal care: a lifeworld hermeneutic study

TL;DR

This study explores how expectant and new mothers experience support from midwives and partners during a structured antenatal breastfeeding program, emphasizing individualized care and decision-making.

Contribution

The study introduces a lifeworld hermeneutic analysis of individual antenatal breastfeeding support, revealing themes that extend beyond standard informational approaches.

Findings

Responsive dialogue and individualized support foster maternal confidence and safety.

Partner involvement, when negotiated, enhances shared understanding without compromising maternal autonomy.

Continuity-based individual education complements group sessions and improves maternal satisfaction.

Abstract

Step three of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding encourages midwives in antenatal care to discuss the importance and management of breastfeeding with expectant and new parents. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding mothers’ experiences of individual antenatal breastfeeding education. This study aims to explain and understand the meaning of the research phenomenon: support from midwives and partners during a structured breastfeeding support programme in antenatal care. The lived experiences of this phenomenon are interpreted from the perspectives of expectant mothers (during pregnancy) and new mothers (two months postpartum).

The analysis employed a lifeworld hermeneutic approach, based on diaries and interviews with 20 mothers conducted during pregnancy and two months after birth. Participants received structured breastfeeding support based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. A purposive sample was recruited in 2021 in Sweden.

The research phenomenon, support from midwives and partners during a structured breastfeeding support programme in antenatal care, is understood through the following themes: Feeling safe through responsive, individualised dialogue; Grounding confidence through tailored and accessible breastfeeding knowledge; Breastfeeding as an existential anchor for emotional closeness and maternal identity; Co‑creating space for breastfeeding, with partner support as negotiated meaning; Weighing breastfeeding as a lived balance of perceived gains and everyday constraints; Trust as a foundation for perseverance and acceptance; and Feeling left behind when dialogue and continuity are missing. The main interpretation can be understood as being prepared to make independent decisions about breastfeeding.

Being prepared to make independent decisions about breastfeeding extends beyond receiving information and is shaped through responsive, meaningful encounters. Individual dialogue grounded in each mother’s lived experiences, needs, and circumstances fostered a sense of safety, reflection, and growing confidence throughout pregnancy and early motherhood. Mothers valued support that recognised their perspectives and strengthened their ownership of breastfeeding decisions, while negotiated partner involvement deepened shared understanding without compromising maternal autonomy. The findings highlight that continuity‑based, individual antenatal breastfeeding education can complement group sessions, enhance maternal satisfaction, and enable midwives to provide more equitable and accessible care for all families.

ACTRN12623000648628. Date registered 15th June 2023. Retrospectively registered.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13006-026-00817-w.