SynthesisInternational breastfeeding journal2026
Mothers' experiences of feeding their premature infants after discharge from the hospital: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.
Synthesis in International breastfeeding journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Being born prematurely has profound implications for feeding, which is one of the most complex and developmentally significant tasks in the first year of life. Various factors influence feeding outcomes and experiences including fatigue and coordination difficulties associated with prematurity, heightened parental anxiety, and altered parent-infant interaction that can result in maladaptive mealtime routines and behaviours. The transition from hospital to home is a sensitive period for parents of premature infants. This review aims to understand parents' experiences of feeding their premature infants in the first year after discharge. This synthesis will inform the development of effective post-discharge support strategies and guide future research. A systematic search of six databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, AMED, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) was conducted. Qualitative studies published between 2000 and 2025 that describe parents' experiences of feeding their premature infants after hospital discharge were quality-appraised and analysed using thematic synthesis. Twenty-two studies conducted across 10 countries were included. All studies focused on mothers of premature infants across all levels of prematurity and most centred on breastfeeding experiences. Four main themes illustrate that feeding experiences are shaped by personal, institutional, and societal influences and that mothers across diverse countries describe remarkably similar experiences despite variations in healthcare systems and models of care. The main themes were the complex reality of the feeding journey, negotiating agency in the feeding journey, navigating the institutional landscape and the impact of societal norms on feeding experiences. The review showed that the struggle to build and sustain maternal agency and confidence in feeding their premature infants, does not end at discharge; for many, it intensifies at home. Supporting parents of premature infants requires attention not only to feeding techniques but also to the relational, institutional, and societal forces that shape maternal agency and confidence long after hospital discharge.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.