This doctoral study on breastfeeding support via social media sought the opinions of mothers and professionals and found that women valued locally linked social media groups and that midwifery input improved reliability and user experience.
Groups were highly variable with best practice development being absent from this area. There was a high reliance on volunteers and on midwives providing the service in their own time. Some midwives were nervous of engaging on social media.
Recommendations for practice include improving social media guidance from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and developing best practice including continuing collaboration with peer support volunteers.