I applied a systematic ethical decision-making approach to evaluate how health care professionals in hospital settings should provide infant feeding support after childbirth. Human milk is recommended as the optimal source of nutrition for infants because of the health benefits it provides for infants and their lactating parents. However, health consequences of insufficient oral intake in infants and psychological distress in the lactating parent may occur when infant feeding does not go according to plan. Infant feeding support should be provided in a way that is objective, sensitive, individualized, equitable, and supportive of autonomy and avoids harm. I provide recommendations for ethical infant feeding support that can be applied by individual health care professionals and on postpartum units in hospitals.
Keywords: breastfeeding; chestfeeding; health promotion; infant formula; postpartum period; psychological stress; shared decision making.
Copyright © 2022 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.