title: Support needs of breast-feeding women: views of Australian midwives and health nurses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to explore the views of midwives and maternal-child health nurses regarding factors that influence breast feeding initiation and continuation, focusing on how support for women could be improved to increase breast feeding duration.
  
  
  METHODS
  a focus group study.
  
  
  METHODS
  hospital or domiciliary (home-visiting) midwives and community-based maternal and child health (MCH) nurses in one region of Victoria, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  twelve MCH nurses and five midwives who provided supportive services to women in the immediate postnatal period attended one of three audio-recorded focus groups. Thematic findings were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  four key themes were: 'Guiding women over breast-feeding hurdles', 'Timing, and time to care'; 'Continuity of women's care' and 'Imparting professional knowledge'. Given the a pattern of hospital discharge of mother and infant on day one or day two after birth, participants thought the timing of immediate postnatal breast-feeding support was critical to enable women to initiate and continue breast feeding. Community-based MCH nurses reported time gaps in uptake of new mother referrals and time-pressured face-to-face consultations. Both groups perceived barriers to continuity of women's care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  health services subscribe to the Baby Friendly Health Initiative and government policies which support breast feeding, however providers described time pressures and a lack of continuity of women's care, including during transition from hospital to community services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  there is a need to examine administration of service delivery and how domiciliary and community nurses can collaborate to establish and maintain supportive relationships with breast feeding women.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Hastings Rd, Frankston, Vic. 3199, Australia. Electronic address: Gayle.McLelland@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Gayle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McLelland
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Hastings Rd, Frankston, Vic. 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Hastings Rd, Frankston, Vic. 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilmour
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Hastings Rd, Frankston, Vic. 3199, Australia.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D016389:Maternal-Child Nursing / Q000379:methods; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors; D014739:Victoria
keywords: Baby Friendly Health Initiative; Breast feeding; Continuity of care; Health policy