A new website featuring personal experiences of breastfeeding has been launched by academics at Bournemouth University.
The website was launched last week to co-incide with National Breastfeeding Awareness Week.
Dr Kath Ryan, a senior research fellow at Bournemouth told E-Health Insider: “The purpose of the website is to provide women with a place for them to hear other women’s experiences and gather advice from them. Sometimes, midwives don’t necessarily offer the best advice and new mothers feel clueless. This website should help them with any problems they may face.”
Dr Ryan interviewed 49 women and two men (partners of the women) from all parts of the UK for the new site.
She added: “Featuring these stories online makes this a powerful education tool for women who are thinking about breastfeeding, those who are already breastfeeding and the health professionals engaged in helping them.
“We’re also responding to evidence that says people from disadvantaged groups rely more heavily on the internet for health information than do their advantaged counterparts so this new website has the potential to change the way we think about breastfeeding support.”
The interviews are available as free video, audio and written clips, with answers to frequently answered questions also available as well as links to other websites containing reliable breastfeeding information and links to support groups and other resources.
Readers are also invited to take part in further interviews and share their experiences with the online community.
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