Partners who do this one (simple) thing can improve moms’ breastfeeding rates

Empowered partners make for happier parents

For Rahadian, a mother herself, this research is personal. Her husband participated in a father-founded breastfeeding group just for dads, and she felt the impact of his participation in her own breastfeeding journey

“I have two young daughters, and was successful in exclusive breastfeeding thanks to the support of my husband,” Rahadian explains. “But some of my friends weren’t as lucky.”

The goal of Rahadian’s research is to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates in Indonesia, where she interviewed couples about the dads role in supporting breastfeeding. According to Rahadian, there’s a lot of room for improvement in Indonesia’s breastfeeding rates, and according to her supervisor, her research is applicable to other locations where breastfeeding rates are not meeting targets— such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada .

Moms need partners in breastfeeding, too

Dr. Polly Atatoa Carr, Rahadian’s supervisor, hopes to see more breastfeeding campaigns targeting dads. That’s because while the bulk of public health messaging around breastfeeding is aimed at moms, the research (and our experiences) shows partners can play huge roles, too. Rahadian is not the first researcher to make the link between the behavior of dads and breastfeeding success.

There is a growing body of evidence showing that partners are huge factors in mothers’ breastfeeding choices and success rates. Researchers note, “paternal emotional, practical and physical supports [have been] identified as important factors to promote successful breastfeeding and to enrich the experience for the mother and subsequently the father.”