Male Partners’ Roles in Infant Feeding Practices: Perspectives of Black Mothers Living with HIV in Three Countries

Currently, mothers living with HIV (LWH) are challenged with different infant feeding guidelines depending on the country they are living in. This may contribute to confusion, stress, and mental health issues related to decision-making about infant feeding as a mother LWH. Yet, their male partners as their closest social capital have important roles to play in reducing or aggravating this psychosocial distress. Hence, we describe the role of male partners in supporting mothers who are living with HIV in the context of infant feeding. It is based on the results of a recent study of the socio-cultural context of infant feeding among Black mothers LWH in three countries; Canada, the USA, and Nigeria. The study was a tri-national, mixed-methods, community-based participatory research (CBPR) project, informed by postcolonialism and intersectionality theories. This paper is based on the qualitative component of the study. It was a focused ethnography (FE) involving 61 in-depth individual interviews (IDIs) with Black- mothers LWH. Thematic analysis guided the interpretation of these data, and trustworthiness was established through member-checking. Black mothers LWH acknowledged the various support roles that their male partners play in easing the practical and emotional burdens of infant feeding in the context of HIV. Male partners’ roles were captured under three sub-themes: (1) Practical help, (2) Protection of the family, and (3) Emotional support and sounding board. These findings have explicated the evolving ways in which male partners support ACB mothers LWH to promote positive infant feeding outcomes, as well as enhance the emotional and physical well-being of both mother and infant. Our study has explicated the evolving ways in which male partners support Black mothers LWH to promote positive infant feeding outcomes, as well as enhance the emotional and physical well-being of both mother and infant.