E-Thesis 639 views 176 downloads
Facebook, mothers and midwives: the role of social media in breastfeeding support services / HOLLY MORSE
Swansea University Author: HOLLY MORSE
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PDF | E-Thesis – open access
Copyright: The Author, Holly Morse, 2023. Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.63455
Abstract
Many new mothers in the UK are now using social media to access perinatal and parenting support, including for breastfeeding. Research exploring the impact of doing so suggests improved outcomes, but raises questions of reliability, and the role of midwife moderation. Little is understood about how...
| Published: |
Swansea, Wales, UK
2023
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| Supervisor: | Brown, Amy E. |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63455 |
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| Abstract: |
Many new mothers in the UK are now using social media to access perinatal and parenting support, including for breastfeeding. Research exploring the impact of doing so suggests improved outcomes, but raises questions of reliability, and the role of midwife moderation. Little is understood about how Facebook groups aimed at women in specific areas are linked to face-to-face support, to midwives ormaternity services. Using a mixed-methods study, comprising three separate studies, this thesis therefore aimed to:i) explore local Facebook group use by mothers, links to face-to-face support and moderation impacts; ii) identify midwives’ perceptions/experiences of engaging with mothers via Facebook groups, and barriers and facilitators to doing so; iii) determine how current services are formatted, assess their sustainability and make recommendations for practice.The first and second studies used online questionnaires to explore maternal and midwife experiences of breastfeeding support groups on Facebook. The first study explored mothers use and experiences (n = 2028) including how the group was moderated. The second study (n = 709) explored midwives’ experiences of providing breastfeeding support via Facebook. The third study used semi-structured interviews with midwife moderators (n=9) to explore experiences, identify group formats and to understand whether these formats are sustainable. Mothers’ highly valued local Facebook groups for breastfeeding support, particularly midwife involvement. Midwives recognised the value of this provision but have a range of personal and professional concerns. Notably, midwives sought support and training to engage on social media safely and effectively. This thesis presents clear and important findings in relation to locally aimed online breastfeeding support. Future development of leadership and infrastructure is needed, with focus on governance processes to support staff and ensure services are safe, effective and of good quality. |
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| Item Description: |
A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. |
| Keywords: |
Breastfeeding, support, social media, Facebook, midwives |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |