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Breastfeeding mothers’ experiences of bedsharing: a qualitative study

Journal article published in 2016 by Catherine Bailey ORCID
This paper was not found in any repository; the policy of its publisher is unknown or unclear.
This paper was not found in any repository; the policy of its publisher is unknown or unclear.

Full text: Unavailable

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Preprint: policy unknown
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Postprint: policy unknown
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Published version: policy unknown

Abstract

Many cultures around the world routinely practise bedsharing by the mother-infant dyad. Bedsharing in these cultures is believed to ensure a safe and comfortable night’s sleep for both mother and infant, as well as supporting breastfeeding. Nonetheless, this practice is at odds with dominant Western cultural ideals about child rearing and is recommendedagainst by public health campaigns regarding SIDS. The current qualitative study aimed to explore the lived experiences of breastfeeding mothers who bed-shared with their infants in a Western cultural setting. In-depth interviews were conducted with six multiparous mothers and were analysed using a phenomenological framework. Seven themes wereidentified, including mothers’ increased sleep quality and/or quantity, easier infant settling and a strong relationship with breastfeeding ease and duration. Given that many mothers bed-share, public policies need to be inclusive of this practice in order to lessen the likelihood of unsafe bedsharing practices.