Mothers' experiences of negative interactions with health professionals when breastfeeding beyond 1 year

This study explores women's negative interactions with health professionals when continuing to breastfeed beyond the first year. The research used a cross-sectional design, with an online questionnaire to gather responses from women worldwide who reported negative experiences with health professionals related to continued breastfeeding between the ages of 1 and less than 2 years. The study used content analysis to analyse responses from 1951 participants. Experiences of negative interactions with health professionals involved advising women to wean (74%), judging the women (18%), stigmatising the women (17%) or telling the women that breastfeeding would affect their healthcare (5%). The findings highlight the urgent need for widespread training programmes, advocating for evidence-based, supportive and non-judgemental care. Healthcare systems are urged to prioritise comprehensive training initiatives aligned with current recommendations, fostering environments where health professionals effectively support and empower women throughout their breastfeeding journey.