BACKGROUND:
Overweight and obesity have reached pandemic levels worldwide, increasingly affecting women of reproductive age (WHO 2024). These conditions carry significant public health consequences (Roser et al. 2022). While breastfeeding is known to benefit both mother and child, it presents unique challenges for women with overweight and obesity (Sen 2022). Although guidelines recommend special support for “obese postpartum women” (AWMF 2019), their specific needs and effective support measures remain underexplored. This study is part of the BMBF-funded Junior Research Centre for Reproduction: Sexual and Reproductive Health in Overweight and Obesity (SRHOO) at UKE Hamburg, Germany.

OBJECTIVES:
Aims are to identify barriers and needs regarding breastfeeding with overweight and obesity, and to develop a care concept that promotes empowerment and self-determination. Special emphasis is placed on the role of midwives in improving maternal health literacy and outcomes for mothers, children, and families.

METHODS:
Semi-structured expert interviews (N=22) were conducted with health professionals as well as affected women. Topics included physical and psychosocial challenges, counselling and support services, and factors influencing breastfeeding. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz.

RESULTS:
Women with overweight and obesity face unique breastfeeding challenges that are often insufficiently addressed, negatively affecting breastfeeding success. Barriers include low self-confidence, negative healthcare experiences, physical discomfort, and a lack of sensitive, non-stigmatising counselling. Experts emphasized the need for continuous, personalised, and interprofessional support, starting early in pregnancy and continuing through breastfeeding. Recommended measures include tailored breastfeeding positions, adapted nutritional counselling, and psychosocial support.

CONCLUSIONS:
Overweight and obesity present distinct challenges for breastfeeding, requiring holistic, continuous, and interdisciplinary care. Enhanced professional training and expanded counselling services can help reduce barriers and to improve breastfeeding outcomes.

KEY MESSAGE:
Comprehensive, non-stigmatising, and interprofessional support is essential for improving breasfeeding success and health outcomes for mothers with overweight and obesity and their families. Poster session 4 (Group B)