title: Addressing barriers to health: Experiences of breastfeeding mothers after returning to work.
abstract: Breastfeeding mothers returning to work often feel exhausted as they must feed on demand and attend to family and employment responsibilities, leading to concerns for their personal health. This study was prompted by a desire to understand and identify barriers to mothers' health. We describe the experiences of 12 Iranian breastfeeding and employed mothers through in-depth and semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Two main themes emerged: (i) working and mothering alone and (ii) facing concerns about health. The findings highlight the need for a support system for breastfeeding mothers within the family and in the workplace. Family-friendly policies targeting mothers' and employers' views are needed to support working mothers and promote breastfeeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Sousan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseinzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medical Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Eesa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Center of Qualitative Studies, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hassankhani
authors.affiliation: University of Jordan Amman, Jordan, World Wide Nursing Service Network (WWNSN, PLLC), El Paso, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Marjaneh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: M Fooladi
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schmied
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Iran; barriers; breastfeeding; employment; women's health