Breastfeeding and Social Media among First-Time African American Mothers

Background: Currently, an infant feeding disparity among African American women and other populations exists. 

Objective: To describe the utilization of social media during the antepartum and postpartum periods among first time African American mothers and their support persons.

Design: A qualitative critical ethnographic research design.

Participants: A purposive sample of 14 pregnant African American women and eight support persons were recruited.

Methods: Twenty-two participants were interviewed individually and observed multiple times during the antepartum and postpartum periods. Data were analyzed thematically.

Results: Participants frequently used social media for educational and social support, and searched the internet for perinatal and parenting information. Most participants reported using at least one or two mobile applications during their pregnancy and after giving birth. Social media was typically accessed through the use of smartphones and/or computers using a variety of different websites and applications. While participants gleaned considerable information about infant development from these applications, they had difficulty finding and recalling information about infant feeding.

Conclusion: Social media is an important vehicle to disseminate infant feeding information; however it is not currently being used to its full potential. These findings would suggest that future interventions geared towards African American mothers and their support persons should include a variety of social media approaches. The way individuals gather, receive and interpret information has changed. With the increasing popularity and use of social media platforms, now is the time to create more innovative interventions for infant feeding and breastfeeding promotion.