Strengthening awareness of mother-centred advocacy on breastfeeding through experiential learning

Introduction: Healthcare professionals need to advocate for mothers and understand breastfeeding challenges, especially in a community-based culture. We developed a breastfeeding management course for healthcare professionals and students in health-related majors on an online platform at our university. This study aimed to explore what participants learned from an experiential learning assignment to interview mothers regarding their breastfeeding challenges, and write a reflection on it. Methods: In this qualitative study, we analysed the written reflections of 56 participants after they interviewed mothers regarding their breastfeeding challenges. Thematic analysis and triangulation among the researchers were conducted to obtain themes. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) differences in knowledge and beliefs about breastfeeding among mothers and their families, (2) breastfeeding challenges that can be a threat to breastfeeding, (3) healthcare professionals’ central role in providing education and advocating for breastfeeding, and (4) involvement of the family and community in breastfeeding education. Conclusion: This interview and reflective writing assignment strengthened the participants’ awareness of how to advocate for breastfeeding mothers, including considering the influence of the community context.