At LactApp we have taken a further step in our efforts to improve the experience for breastfeeding mothers and we would like to share this with you. We have set up a research team on lactation, a field in which we believe there is a lot to contribute. One of our goals is to study the usefulness of our app for breastfeeding mothers, so we have carried out research based on the use of the app by our users during 2019.

As a result of this work, we have just published the scientific article ‘Description of an mHealth tool for breastfeeding support: LactApp. Analysis of how lactating mothers seek for support during the critical points of breastfeeding and according to their infant’s age’ in the magazine ‘Research in Nursing and Health’ by the researchers Alba Padró, Paola Quifer, Laia Aguilar and Desirée Mena.

In this study we wanted to analyse how LactApp is able to support breastfeeding mothers during the critical moments of their breastfeeding journey and according to their baby’s age. Encountering difficulties in the various stages of breastfeeding can mean that mothers quit breastfeeding, because they do not find the necessary support, even though they wanted to continue. We are therefore very pleased to have been able to accompany all of you who have consulted with us during this time.

The results of the study suggest that LactApp’s support evolves with the mother’s needs according to the stage of the baby’s life. The topics mothers look for are different at the beginning of breastfeeding from when the baby is one year old. At the beginning, the most frequent questions are about the need to wake the baby, the amount of bowel movements, how often to breastfeed, milk production in the first few days, warning signs and latching difficulties.

Between the baby’s 15th day and 3rd month, consultations about growth spurts, breastfeeding crises, return to work and breastfeeding complications predominate. Due to short periods of maternity leave, at this age mothers begin to prepare to return to work, resulting in an increase in questions about mixed breastfeeding, pumping and milk storage.

Once reached three months, consultations are more homogeneous. Thus, between three and six months of age and between six months and a year, the most frequently repeated topics are introducing solids, weaning and breastfeeding of babies over six months of age. From one year of the baby’s life onwards, what our users seek most is support in managing weaning and information on tandem feeding.

The study concludes that LactApp is a tool capable of supporting breastfeeding women at critical stages of lactation through personalised responses, that adapts to a changing demand for information as breastfeeding progresses.

We are confident that we will soon be able to share more scientific publications from our researchers. Thank you so much for supporting us on this journey.