Qualitative study highlights emotional and physical challenges in breastfeeding for mothers of children with special health needs, emphasizing healthcare support.
Objective: to describe the experiences of mothers of children with special health needs regarding breastfeeding in light of Meleis’s Transitions Theory. Methods: a qualitative study, using nine Sensitive Creative Method Knowledge Tree dynamics, with 20 mothers, in March 2023. Data were processed using the software Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: mothers experienced multiple, complex, and simultaneous transitions, including aspects related to prematurity and intensive care hospitalization. Many faced emotional, physical, and social challenges while trying to breastfeed their infants in the face of adverse circumstances. One facilitator was the support of healthcare professionals at the milk bank. Final considerations: joint action between nurses and other healthcare professionals with mothers is relevant for quality transitional care in breastfeeding for children with special health needs.
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Sá et al. (2025) studied this question.
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