Nurses’ and midwives’ perspectives on how the crave for the ‘perfect’ body image affect their own breastfeeding practices: A qualitative study in Ghana

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization has recommended that, all infants should be breastfed for at least two years with six months of exclusive breastfeeding. This is due to the many benefits of breastfeeding to the mother, child and the nation. There is paucity of literature on the breastfeeding practices of nurses and midwives with regards to issues relating to body image. Therefore, this study explored the perspectives of breastfeeding nurses and midwives on how their body image affect their breastfeeding practices. Methods : Qualitative exploratory descriptive design was used to conduct this study. Five focus group discussions were conducted with each group having five members after participants were purposively selected into the study. Data was analyzed inductively after it was audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Results : Three main themes emerged after data analysis which included: Body image concerns and breastfeeding, sociocultural pressures and breastfeeding and coping strategies. Participants were of the view that, they had concerns with regards to weight gain due to the need to eat adequately in order to lactate. To participants, those concerns and pressures negatively affect their breastfeeding practices. These body image concerns are fueled by sociocultural pressures such as negative comments from loved ones and social media. They coped with self-motivation and the love they have for their children. Conclusion : It is apparent that, breastfeeding health professionals need support in order to successfully breastfeed their infants till the stipulated time frame. Keywords: Nurses and midwives, breastfeeding, body image and breastfeeding, body image concerns, Ghana, sociocultural pressures and breastfeeding.