Abstract
Breastfeeding confers numerous benefits to both the mother and child. Despite these, global breastfeeding rates remain low compared to the World Health Assembly targets. Migrating to another country plays a significant role in shaping breastfeeding practices. There is a growing number of Black people in the Prairies, with Black immigrant women among one of the most vulnerable populations in Canada. Despite this, there is little data tailored specifically to Black immigrant women’s breastfeeding experiences and practices. This study aims to understand African-Black Immigrant women’s breastfeeding experiences and perspectives. It explored the breastfeeding experiences of African-Black Immigrant women before and after migrating to Canada and the aspects of these experiences that facilitated and challenged their breastfeeding within the Canadian context. The study employed an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five eligible participants residing in Saskatoon. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants. Interpretative Phenomenological analysis was used to identify key themes related to breastfeeding practices, challenges, and support systems before and after migration. Ethical approval was obtained, and all participants provided informed consent. The findings resulted in superordinate themes: positive breastfeeding experience & maternal satisfaction, family & community support, cultural practices & societal acceptance, healthcare support & access to resources and barriers & challenges to breastfeeding. This study underscores the need for a more inclusive and culturally relevant approach to breastfeeding support, ensuring that African-Black immigrant women can successfully continue their breastfeeding journeys despite the challenges they face in a new environment.
Presenters
Nneka Kene IbeaghaStudent, MSc Community and Population Health Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Community Diversity and Governance
KEYWORDS
BREASTFEEDING, MIGRATION, AFRICA, IMMIGRANTS, CHALLENGES, FACILITATORS
