Ecological Momentary Breastfeeding Intervention to Improve Breastfeeding Outcomes: a Randomized Controlled Trial
During Chinese mothers' doing the month, they are often housebound and find it difficult to attend group support or seek help during the first month postpartum which is the critical period in sustaining exclusive breastfeeding and at high risk of weaning. This can adversely affect their general well-being, and are associated with stress, anxiety and postnatal depression. Thus, mothers have expressed the need for real-time, real world, personalized support that allow them to get immediate breastfeeding support, helps in overcoming the challenges and subsequently improve exclusive breastfeeding. The aim of the proposed study is to assess the effectiveness of an ecological momentary intervention (EMI)-based breastfeeding intervention in improving exclusive breastfeeding outcomes and to inform clinical practice and services for breastfeeding mothers in Hong Kong. Such interventions have been considered as a rising shift from traditional model of care towards an e-technology based health model that may improve exclusive breastfeeding duration globally.
• be primiparous mothers
• have had a singleton pregnancy and live birth
• have birthed a full-term infant (37-42 weeks gestation)
• speak Cantonese
• be a Hong Kong resident
• have no serious medical or obstetrical complications and have not had their infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)