Using art to raise awareness of breastfed children with medical complexity

BACKGROUND: Current infant feeding support is often targeted at establishing breastfeeding in healthy term infants, or supporting lactation for preterm infants in the neonatal setting. Breastfeeding presents different challenges for children beyond the neonatal period who have a medical complexity. The tendency to focus on breastfeeding as a preventative public health intervention overlooks the fact that mothers and children with medical complexity often require additional and targeted support to continue to breastfeed. Despite this identified need, there is very little research, policy or clinically specific teaching within paediatrics that is nuanced enough to support this vulnerable population. RAISING AWARENESS OF BREASTFED CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL COMPLEXITY IN PAEDIATRICS: While research, policy and embedded Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) standards in both the maternity and neonatal directorates exists, paediatrics is a separate discipline and contrastingly, has very little lactation support infrastructure. To this end, a doctoral study was commenced aiming to identify the differences for this vulnerable and largely overlooked group. One of the related outputs of the ongoing research is the use of creative methods to raise awareness. This commentary highlights a project with an artist to develop a series of portraits alongside a book and health professional education to increase awareness of these children’s needs. CONCLUSIONS: The breastfeeding needs and challenges of children in the paediatric setting are unique and require additional awareness, creativity and skills to support optimal infant and young child breastfeeding. Using art can connect professionals to the lived experiences of families trying to persevere through medical complexity.