title: "Breastfeeding feels so delicate". How mothers of breastfed preschool children experience being treated by preschool teachers.
abstract: More than 90% of all children 2-6 years of age attend preschool in Sweden. The aim of this study is to increase our understanding of how mothers who breastfeed preschool children experience being treated by preschool staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews with qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Requests for participation in the study were published on breastfeeding or parent-related internet forums.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten mothers who had breastfed while their children had attended preschool were interviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All mothers felt breastfeeding beyond infancy made them "different", which made them feel vulnerable. Breastfeeding was often met with silence from preschool staff, which the mothers feared to be a sign of dislike. Breastfeeding could also be suspected to cause problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important that preschool teachers are aware that some preschool children continue to breastfeed and that they are prepared to interact with families appropriately. FUTURE IMPLICATIONS: More research about different aspects of breastfeeding beyond infancy is clearly needed.
authors.affiliation: Dalarna University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olanders
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011639:Public Opinion; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult