Name: Amal Murad
Ph.D. Nursing & Midwifery
Maternity and Childhood Nursing Department, Nursing College, Taibah University, Madinah,Saudi Arabia
Email: amurad@taibahu.edu.sa
Exploring the experiences and perceptions of health professionals about breastfeeding promotion in Saudi Arabia: An ethnographic study
Abstract
Background: Breastfeeding is the most effective intervention to improve infant health and provide long-term benefits throughout life, yet breastfeeding rates are low. Objective: Explore the experiences and expertise of health professionals in promoting breastfeeding in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An ethnographic study was conducted using interviews conducted with 18 female healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Results: There is a lack of support directed to fathers, and they are deprived of learning about supporting breastfeeding mothers physically over the first three months of breastfeeding and visiting advisory clinics. Fathers and mothers do not have trust and a valuable source for teaching how to breastfeed, apart from the clinic and after birth. The unsupportive surrounding environment is one of the most important factors that influence parents’ decisions to breastfeed, and kindly use another academic sentence that does not support the breastfeeding mother. Factors influencing parents’ decision to breastfeed include social traditions, the environment, mothers’ unwillingness to spoil the shape and appearance of their breasts, and negative attitudes among young mothers towards breastfeeding. Challenges in scheduling appointments as needed. Lack of virtual follow-up clinics, lack of financial support and rewards for breastfeeding mothers who need to use breast pumps and maternity clothes. Officials should focus on better training health professionals to promote breastfeeding, providing virtual clinics, increasing the workforce and specialists to support breastfeeding, increasing community awareness, and limiting promotional advertising for formula milk accessories. Conclusion: The results indicate that health care workers lack the necessary practical knowledge to support mothers to breastfeed, and there is a need to increase support for parents due to the direct impact on mothers’ support for breastfeeding. In addition to the need to promote baby-friendly hospitals and confront promotional advertisements of formula milk products and accessories on social media applications.
Keywords: exclusive breastfeeding, breastfeeding promotion, perception, health care professionals, parents, Saudi Arabia
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