Download PDF
Am J Perinatol
DOI: 10.1055/a-2033-0031
Original Article

Mothers' Experiences of Tandem Breastfeeding: A Phenomenological Study

Menekşe N. Aker 
1   Ankara University Faculty of Nursing, Ankara, Turkey
,
Ilknur M. Gönenç 
1   Ankara University Faculty of Nursing, Ankara, Turkey
,
Aslı Er Korucu 
1   Ankara University Faculty of Nursing, Ankara, Turkey
,
Nazan Çakırer Çalbayram 
2   Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale, Turkey
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Objective Despite many benefits of tandem breastfeeding, mothers stop breastfeeding their older babies early during pregnancy due to inadequate knowledge and support. This study was conducted to determine the tandem breastfeeding experiences of mothers.

Study Design A phenomenological design was used in this study. The data of the study were collected between January and August 2018. In-depth, individual, open-ended interviews were carried out for data collection. A personal information form and a semi-structured in-depth interview form were used to collect data. It was conducted with 13 women who were tandem breastfeeding, 9 of whom had given birth and 4 of whom were pregnant.

Results The data obtained from the interviews with mothers who were tandem breastfeeding were classified into nine themes, namely: metaphors, feelings, benefits, myths, facilitators, pathways to tandem breastfeeding, fears and worries, difficulties, and obstacles. Mothers experienced many benefits of tandem breastfeeding for maternal and infant health. In addition, although there was no evidence in the literature regarding the harms of tandem breastfeeding, they encountered many myths about it. These myths increased their concerns about this type of breastfeeding. Mothers could not get enough information and support from health care professionals, and this was reported as a challenging experience of tandem breastfeeding.

Conclusion Despite many positive experiences, mothers who tandem breastfeed may also face various difficulties. They need a breastfeeding-friendly environment and support from family and health professionals to cope with these challenges.

Key Points

  • Mothers experienced many benefits of tandem breastfeeding for maternal and infant health.

  • Pain and tenderness in the breasts, insomnia, and fatigue show the issues that should be supported in tandem breastfeeding mothers.

  • Some women felt uterine contractions during pregnancy, but none of them experienced abortion or premature birth.

  • In the absence of a risky condition, tandem breastfeeding should be supported and the concerns caused by myths should be replaced by proven scientific results.

Keywords

tandem breastfeeding - nutritional needs - phenomenological study


Publication History

Received: 05 August 2022

Accepted: 10 February 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
10 February 2023

Article published online:
14 March 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

  • References

  • 1 Morns M, Steel A. Naturopathic support for nursing aversion associated with tandem breastfeeding. Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine 2018; 30: 74
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Göncü Serhatoğlu S, Elif Y. What is tandem breastfeeding?. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences 2020; 12: 433-442
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 O'Rourke MP, Spatz DL. Women's experiences with tandem breastfeeding. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 2019; 44 (04) 220-227
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Bryant TMPA. Tandem nursing: a review and guidelines. Int J Childbirth Educ 2012; 27 (04) 84-88
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Ayrim A, Gunduz S, Akcal B, Kafali H. Breastfeeding throughout pregnancy in Turkish women. Breastfeed Med 2014; 9 (03) 157-160
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 López-Fernández G, Barrios M, Goberna-Tricas J, Gómez-Benito J. Breastfeeding during pregnancy: a systematic review. Women Birth 2017; 30 (06) e292-e300
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Pareja RG, Marquis GS, Penny ME, Dixon PM. A case-control study to examine the association between breastfeeding during late pregnancy and risk of a small-for-gestational-age birth in Lima, Peru. Matern Child Nutr 2015; 11 (02) 190-201
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Rosenberg G, Mangel L, Mandel D, Marom R, Lubetzky R. Tandem breastfeeding and human milk macronutrients: a prospective observational study. J Hum Lact 2021; 37 (04) 723-729
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Sinkiewicz-Darol E, Bernatowicz-Łojko U, Łubiech K. et al. Tandem breastfeeding: a descriptive analysis of the nutritional value of milk when feeding a younger and older child. Nutrients 2021; 13 (01) 277
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Devecioğlu E, Kürkçü Güneş D, Kural B, Eren T, Gökçay G. Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing: case reports. Journal of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine 2015; 17 (04) 60-63
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Gürarslan Baş N, Karatay G, Arikan D. Weaning practices of mothers in eastern Turkey. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018; 94 (05) 498-503
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Ezenduka PO, Ndie EC, Nwankwo CU. Weaning practices among breastfeeding mothers local communities of Enugu state Nigeria. Clin Mother Child Health 2018; 15: 293
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Cortelo FM, Marba STM, Cortellazzi KL. et al. Women's sense of coherence and its association with early weaning. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018; 94 (06) 624-629
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Ramiro González MD, Ortiz Marrón H, Arana Cañedo-Argüelles C. et al. Prevalence of breastfeeding and factors associated with the start and duration of exclusive breastfeeding in the Community of Madrid among participants in the ELOIN [in Spanish]. An Pediatr (Engl Ed) 2018; 89 (01) 32-43
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Kusi A. . My Tandem Nursing Journey: Breastfeeding Through Pregnancy, Labor, Nursing Aversion and Beyond. New York, NY: Our Peaceful Family; 2015
  • 16 Moscone SR, Moore MJ. Breastfeeding during pregnancy. J Hum Lact 1993; 9 (02) 83-88
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Erdoğan Ç, Turan T. Determination of breast milk insufficiency perceptions of tandem breastfeeding mothers; a case-control study. J Neonatal Nurs 2023; 29 (01) 50-53
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Ishii H. Does breastfeeding induce spontaneous abortion?. 2009; 35 (05) 864-868
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Creswell JW. . Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications Inc.; 2013
  • 20 Wertz FJ. Phenomenological research methods for counseling psychology. J Couns Psychol 2005; 52 (02) 167-177
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Rubin A, Babbie E. . Research Methods for Social Work. 7th ed. United States: Linda Schreiber; 2020
  • 22 Albadran MM. Effect of breastfeeding during pregnancy on the occurrence of miscarriage and preterm labour. Iraqi J Med Sci 2013;11(03):
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Moustakas C. . Phenomenological Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications; 1994
  • 24 Lincoln YS, Guba EG. . Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications; 1985
  • 25 Foss KA. . “The new boob tube?”: education, entertainment, and viewers' perceptions of breastfeeding on social media. In: Foss KA ed, Breastfeeding and Media: Exploring Conflicting Discourses That Threaten Public Health. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2017:189–204
  • 26 Bonyata K, Flower H. . Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing: the official FAQ. Accessed March 3 2023 at: https://kellymom.com/ages/tandem/official-tandem-bf-faq/
    PubMed
  • 27 Meek JY. . AAP. The American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding (Revised Edition): Completely Revised and Updated Third Edition. New York, NY: Bantam; 2017
  • 28 Krol KM, Grossmann T. Psychological effects of breastfeeding on children and mothers. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2018; 61 (08) 977-985
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Säilävaara J. Long-term breastfeeding: the embodied experiences of Finnish mothers. NORA 2020; 28 (01) 43-55
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Çınar N, Karakaya Suzan Ö. Pregnancy and breastfeeding in the lactation period. J Contin Med Edu 2018; 27 (02) 143-146
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Cetin I, Assandro P, Massari M. et al; Working Group on Breastfeeding, Italian Society of Perinatal Medicine and Task Force on Breastfeeding, Ministry of Health, Italy. Breastfeeding during pregnancy: position paper of the Italian Society of Perinatal Medicine and the Task Force on Breastfeeding, Ministry of Health, Italy. J Hum Lact 2014; 30 (01) 20-27
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Doğancı P, Özsoy S. Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing. Turkiye Klinikleri J Nurs Sci 2019; 11 (02) 190-199
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Onwudiegwu U. Is breastfeeding during pregnancy harmful?. Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2000; 20 (02) 157
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Marquis GS, Penny ME, Diaz JM, Marín RM. Postpartum consequences of an overlap of breastfeeding and pregnancy: reduced breast milk intake and growth during early infancy. Pediatrics 2002; 109 (04) e56
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 AAFP. The American Academy of Family Physicians Breastfeeding, Family Physicians Supporting (Position Paper). 2021 . Accessed March 10, 2023 at: https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/breastfeeding-position-paper.html
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 36 Tosyalı H, Sütçü CS. Effects of social media usage on individuals in terms of health communication. Maltepe Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi 2016; 3 (02) 3-22
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Bridges N, Howell G, Schmied V. Exploring breastfeeding support on social media. Int Breastfeed J 2018; 13 (01) 22
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Newton E. . Lactation and breastfeeding. In: Gabbe S, Niebyl JR, Simpson JL, et al, eds, Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies: 1st South Asia edn—E Book. 7th ed. India. Amsterdam: Elsevier 2017:517–548
  • 39 Flower H, O'Mara P. . Adventures in tandem nursing: breastfeeding during pregnancy and beyond. Franklin Park, IL: La Leche League International Schaumberg; 2003