From: Infant feeding experiences among teen mothers in North Carolina: Findings from a mixed-methods study
 | Qualitative findings |
---|---|
Practices | • Many teens (17 out of 22) initiated breastfeeding |
 | • Half of those who initiated stopped within the first month, and many supplemented with formula or used the breast pump to give milk |
 | • Compared with Whites and Hispanics, fewer African Americans initiated breastfeeding, and more discontinued within the first 2 weeks |
Barriers | Reasons for not initiating |
 | • Fear of pain |
 | • Anticipation of difficulty upon return to school |
 | • No clearly articulated reason: "just didn't want to" |
 | Reasons for stopping |
 | • Pain |
 | • Difficulty latching on and insufficient breast milk |
 | • Returning to school-concerns included getting enough sleep, leakage, and difficulty and frequency of pumping |
Influences | Influences on initiation |
 | • Many teens said healthcare providers encouraged breastfeeding during prenatal care and at delivery |
 | • Many teens got support and encouragement to breastfeed from family though this was less common among Black teens |
 | • Having family members who had breastfed motivated some teens to try breastfeeding |
 | • Negative breastfeeding experiences of peers dissuaded a few teens from breastfeeding |
 | Influences on continuation |
 | • Few teens received hands-on professional assistance after hospital discharge |
 | • Encouragement from family did not help teens overcome technical difficulties |