New Mothers’ Experiences and Opinions of Breastfeeding Supports Provided by Hospital Staff at CUMH

Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding initiation rates around the world. Despite a consistent message from Irish Health Professionals that exclusive breast feeding is beneficial for both mother and baby Ireland’s breastfeeding rates remain stubbornly low.

The primary aim of the research is to identify hospital staff practices at Cork University Maternity Hospital that positively impact breastfeeding initiation rates, based on the lived experiences of new mothers. Secondary objectives include exploring women's opinions on breastfeeding, cultural and lifestyle factors, and effective educational sources.

The study will employ a qualitative design using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify key themes related to breastfeeding practices and experiences.

Project status: 

Ongoing: Awaiting final approvals. Recruitment to start in October 2024.

Research team:

• Ms Sinéad Marie Treacy 
  Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork.
• Dr Tamara Escañuela Sánchez
  National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork.
  Pregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork.
• Professor Richard Greene
  National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork.

Contact information

Please, contact us if you have any questions or if you would like more information about the study. You can contact Dr. Tamara Escañuela Sánchez at tamara.escanuelasanchez@ucc.ie or telephone +353 (0)21 420 5053.

Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Cork Teaching Hospitals at University College Cork (Log ECM 6 (t) 09/04/2024). If you have any concerns about this study, and wish to contact someone independent, you may contact the Social Research Ethics Committee by email: crec@ucc.ie.