An Examination of Certified Nurse-Midwives' Attitudes and Beliefs Surrounding Breastsleeping: Implications for Advanced Nursing Practice and Education
Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Breastsleeping, defined as co-sleeping while breastfeeding, is a practice commonly employed in breastfeeding families. However, literature examining this concept, its prevalence, and related education for safe breastsleeping is scant. Providers' attitudes surrounding breastsleeping play an essential role in practice and outcomes when caring for breastfeeding patients and families. The purpose of the study was to examine and describe Certified Nurse-Midwives' attitudes and beliefs surrounding breastsleeping. Methods: An adapted 18-item Nurse Attitudes and Beliefs Questionnaire-Revised (NABQ-R) online-survey that measured breastsleeping attitudes and beliefs of Certified Nurse-Midwives was administered via an online survey platform (Qualtrics). The quantitative analysis utilized SPSS 25 software. Results: Survey respondents included 754 Certified Nurse-Midwives throughout the U.S. Overall, attitudes of Certified Nurse-Midwives were favorable toward breastsleeping, yielding several statistically significant relationships between respondents and certain demographics, namely age, years in practice, place of practice, and region of practice. Discussion: Certified Nurse-Midwives' attitudes around breastsleeping were overwhelmingly positive. However, age, years in practice, place of practice, and region of practice impacted Certified Nurse-Midwives' attitudes, leading to implications for patient education on safe co-sleeping practices. Future studies should examine other provider groups' perspectives on breastsleeping, such as nurse practitioners and pediatricians who serve breastfeeding families, and also consider surveying breastfeeding mothers about their breastsleeping behaviors. Improved understanding of this emerging concept is essential to support breastfeeding families, encourage open communication between providers and patient populations, and improve safe co-sleeping in families with infants.
Author: Lucy Mueller Wiesemann
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3047098553