Encouraging Fathers to Support Breastfeeding: The Role of Nurse-Midwife
Keywords:
Fathers, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Support, Role of nurse-midwifeAbstract
Breastfeeding is beneficial for infants as well as for mothers, families, society and the nation.
fathers are recognized as a key person affecting successful breastfeeding. The father’s role in supporting breastfeeding involved co-parenting on breastfeeding planning and decision-making and giving support during the antenatal period, including providing maternal physical and mental support during breastfeeding in the postpartum period until the child is 2 years of age or older. However, the father’s role in supporting breastfeeding has been limited because of a lack of knowledge and understanding about breastfeeding. Therefore, nurse-midwives are able to encourage the father’s role in supporting breastfeeding by counselling, providing education and reinforcing positive attitudes toward breastfeeding for fathers, as well as developing interventions encouraging fathers’ breastfeeding support behavior. These ways will encourage fathers to be confident in their roles to support mothers’ breastfeeding successfully.
The purposes of this article were to document fathers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of breastfeeding support, including the role of the nurse-midwife in encouraging fathers to support breastfeeding. This article can be a guide for nurse-midwives and related healthcare providers to apply in order to encourage the father’s role in supporting breastfeeding appropriately.
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