Health promotion: partners’ perceptions of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is recognized as the most appropriate method of infant feeding (UNICEF, 1999a), yet past research suggests that it declines during the early postpartum period (Foster et al, 1995). More importantly, recent studies have suggested that partners may influence breastfeeding decisions (Jackson, 2000) so their roles significantly reinforce more recent findings (Hamlyn et al, 2002). This small qualitative study explores partners' perceptions of breastfeeding, the extent of influence on breastfeeding decisions, and how health promotion can contribute to the uptake of breastfeeding. In this article, an open-ended, in-depth guide was used during the interviewing of eight male participants. The findings were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that partners have significant influence on a mother's infant-feeding decisions by their use of language, and that partners are greatly influenced by their perceptions of gender.