Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all mothers should breastfeed for the first six months of an infant‟s life, yet only 37% of infants younger than six months are exclusively breastfed. Working mothers face challenges with adhering to exclusive breastfeeding due to returning back to employment before the infant is six months old. This leads to the introduction of commercial breastmilk substitutes and other liquids as well as solid foods. The aim of this study was to explore and describe working mothers‟ lived experience with adhering to exclusive breastfeeding in the Rustenburg District, North-West province. A qualitative, exploratory and contextual design was used to gain in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. The population was purposively sampled, and individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted at two Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in Rustenburg, until data saturation was reached. Data analysis was done using Giorgi‟s phenomenological analytic approach to derive emerging themes from the participants‟ lived experiences. Guba and Lincoln‟s framework was utilised to enhance measures of trustworthiness. Moreover, ethical considerations that were adhered to included: autonomy, nonmaleficence, principles of justice and beneficence. The findings from this study show that working mothers wanted to continue adhering to exclusive breastfeeding but lacked knowledge on how to continue with the practice. The participants also experienced limited support in their work environment. This study recommends that supportive structures, in the form of health education from nursing personnel and the work environment, should be improved to allow the working mother to continue adhering to exclusive breastfeeding.
M.Cur. (Nursing)