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Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

During the COVID-19 pandemic, breastfeeding women have experienced restricted access to support, placing them at increased risk of mental health concerns and limited breastfeeding assistance. This study investigated the effect of the pandemic on feeding choices and maternal wellbeing amongst breastf...

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Autores principales: Sakalidis, Vanessa S., Rea, Alethea, Perrella, Sharon L., McEachran, Jacki, Collis, Grace, Miraudo, Jennifer, Prosser, Stuart A., Gibson, Lisa Y., Silva, Desiree, Geddes, Donna T.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8230305/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34072039
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu13061831
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author Sakalidis, Vanessa S.
Rea, Alethea
Perrella, Sharon L.
McEachran, Jacki
Collis, Grace
Miraudo, Jennifer
Prosser, Stuart A.
Gibson, Lisa Y.
Silva, Desiree
Geddes, Donna T.
author_facet Sakalidis, Vanessa S.
Rea, Alethea
Perrella, Sharon L.
McEachran, Jacki
Collis, Grace
Miraudo, Jennifer
Prosser, Stuart A.
Gibson, Lisa Y.
Silva, Desiree
Geddes, Donna T.
author_sort Sakalidis, Vanessa S.
collection PubMed
description During the COVID-19 pandemic, breastfeeding women have experienced restricted access to support, placing them at increased risk of mental health concerns and limited breastfeeding assistance. This study investigated the effect of the pandemic on feeding choices and maternal wellbeing amongst breastfeeding mothers living in Australian and New Zealand. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey that examined feeding methods, maternal mental wellbeing, worries, challenges, and positive experiences during the pandemic. Most women were exclusively breastfeeding (82%). Partial breastfeeding was associated with perceived low milk supply and longer pregnancy duration during the pandemic. Reduced mental health and wellbeing was associated with lower levels of family functioning, increased perceived stress, and perinatal anxiety. Longer pregnancy duration during the pandemic was associated with lower mental health wellbeing scores, while higher perceived stress scores were reported for regions with higher COVID-19 infection rates and women with perceived low milk supply. Women reported that the pandemic resulted in less pressure and more time for family bonding, while worries about the pandemic, family health, and parenting challenges were also cited. Mental health concerns of breastfeeding women appear to be exacerbated by COVID-19, highlighting a critical need for access to mental health and broader family support during the pandemic.
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spelling pubmed-82303052021-06-26 Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study Sakalidis, Vanessa S. Rea, Alethea Perrella, Sharon L. McEachran, Jacki Collis, Grace Miraudo, Jennifer Prosser, Stuart A. Gibson, Lisa Y. Silva, Desiree Geddes, Donna T. Nutrients Article During the COVID-19 pandemic, breastfeeding women have experienced restricted access to support, placing them at increased risk of mental health concerns and limited breastfeeding assistance. This study investigated the effect of the pandemic on feeding choices and maternal wellbeing amongst breastfeeding mothers living in Australian and New Zealand. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey that examined feeding methods, maternal mental wellbeing, worries, challenges, and positive experiences during the pandemic. Most women were exclusively breastfeeding (82%). Partial breastfeeding was associated with perceived low milk supply and longer pregnancy duration during the pandemic. Reduced mental health and wellbeing was associated with lower levels of family functioning, increased perceived stress, and perinatal anxiety. Longer pregnancy duration during the pandemic was associated with lower mental health wellbeing scores, while higher perceived stress scores were reported for regions with higher COVID-19 infection rates and women with perceived low milk supply. Women reported that the pandemic resulted in less pressure and more time for family bonding, while worries about the pandemic, family health, and parenting challenges were also cited. Mental health concerns of breastfeeding women appear to be exacerbated by COVID-19, highlighting a critical need for access to mental health and broader family support during the pandemic. MDPI 2021-05-27 /pmc/articles/PMC8230305/ /pubmed/34072039 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu13061831 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Sakalidis, Vanessa S.
Rea, Alethea
Perrella, Sharon L.
McEachran, Jacki
Collis, Grace
Miraudo, Jennifer
Prosser, Stuart A.
Gibson, Lisa Y.
Silva, Desiree
Geddes, Donna T.
Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
title Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_fullStr Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_short Wellbeing of Breastfeeding Women in Australia and New Zealand during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_sort wellbeing of breastfeeding women in australia and new zealand during the covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8230305/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34072039
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu13061831
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