Perceptions of Coping With Breastfeeding Pain: A Secondary Analysis

Introduction: Although there are many known benefits of providing human milk to infants, breastfeeding-related pain is a significant reason for breastfeeding cessation. Breastfeeding-related pain is a unique experience due to breastfeeding's goal-directed purpose, repetitive nature, and socio-emotional reflections of successful parenting. Understanding how lactating parents cope with breastfeeding-related pain will inform clinical practice to encourage individuals to meet their lactation goals. The aim of this study was to evaluate how lactating parents view coping with breastfeeding-related pain to be different from coping with other types of pain.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a pilot randomized control study of a breastfeeding pain self-management intervention. Data from 57 participants who breastfed and completed self-report surveys at 1, 2, and 6 weeks postpartum were included. We employed Boyatzis' thematic analysis method to evaluate affirmative responses to "Is coping with breastfeeding pain different than coping with other pain?" We evaluated correlations between responses to coping with breastfeeding pain and pain severity scores.

Results: We identified 3 main themes: (1) uncharted waters, (2) light at the end of the tunnel, and (3) parental role and responsibility. No significant differences were detected between the pain scores of individuals who viewed coping with breastfeeding to be different and those who did not.

Discussion: Lactating parents reported an array of psychological coping strategies in response to breastfeeding-related pain. Coping processes were influenced by personal goals, parental role evaluations, and a desire to meet their infant's needs. Interventions during prenatal and postpartum care that incorporate individualized coping strategies could support breastfeeding goal attainment.