Women's bodily experience of antenatal breastmilk expression from 34 weeks of gestation: Qualitative results from the Express-MOM study.

Introduction: Breastfeeding establishment can be challenging due to several factors including women's emotional and physical perception of breastfeeding. This study examines the bodily experiences of healthy women performing antenatal breastmilk expression (aBME) from gestational week 34 until term and whether aBME can support women during breastfeeding establishment.

Methods: A qualitative phenological-hermeneutic approach was applied. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted from December 2022 to March 2023, and women were recruited from the Express-MOM Study, which examined aBME before term. Interviews were conducted 2-4 weeks after birth. Questions concerned body image, bodily experience of aBME, and whether aBME supported their confidence during breastfeeding establishment. Interviews were audio recorded, verbatim transcribed, coded by the first and last author, and subjected to thematic analysis.

Results: Seven women participated in the interviews. Three themes were identified: 1) A desire to be prepared, which identified how women had a deep-felt wish to provide their infants with their milk; 2) Bodily confident, which covered how women trusted their body when expressing milk through aBME, and how this increased their confidence in breastfeeding; and 3) Being confident in the storm, which addressed how knowledge about women's own body obtained from aBME was valuable in the vulnerable breastfeeding establishment.

Conclusions: aBME from 34 weeks of gestation can contribute to women feeling more bodily confident and prepared for breastfeeding establishment. This study provides a basis for future research on aBME in women at risk of breastfeeding difficulties (e.g. preterm delivery) to identify if aBME can increase breastfeeding confidence and also breastfeeding initiation and rates.

Clinical trial registration: The study is registered on the official website of ClinicalTrials.gov.

Identifier: ID NCT05516199.