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Mothers' Experiences Expressing Breastmilk for VLBW Infants: A Phenomenological Case Study
Author(s) -
Bower K,
Burnette T,
Lewis D,
Wright C,
Kavanagh K
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.581.6
Subject(s) - neonatal intensive care unit , medicine , nonprobability sampling , pediatrics , nursing , interpretative phenomenological analysis , family medicine , qualitative research , developmental psychology , psychology , population , environmental health , social science , sociology
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of mothers' experiences expressing breastmilk for their very‐low‐birth‐weight (VLBW) infants in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Using purposive sampling, mothers with VLBW infants in the NICU were invited to participate if they had ever expressed breastmilk during their infant's stay. Mothers were eligible if they were English‐speaking, 18 years or older, maintaining custody post discharge, and their breastmilk was not contraindicated for any reason. In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were conducted in person in a private room at the NICU or over the phone, per the mother's preference. Consistent with phenomenological methods, interviews began with the question: “tell me about your experience pumping breastmilk for your baby.” Additional questions prompted for further detail to better capture the mother's experiences. All interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Colaizzi's methodology. To date, 11 mothers have consented and been interviewed. Results are based on preliminary findings from these first interviews. Emergent themes related to expressing breastmilk include: 1) breastmilk has more benefits than formula for NICU infants; 2) mothers can actively participate in infants' care; 3) pumping is time consuming; and 4) ease of formula‐feeding may influence mothers to quit pumping. Data analysis will continue until saturation has been achieved. Mothers will be re‐contacted to validate the researchers' interpretations or the results. Results will be used to inform development of a pilot intervention to promote breastmilk expression in the NICU setting. Funding: Univ. of TN, Professional Development Fund