3, 2, 1 Start with Breastfeeding: Supporting Partner Involvement in Breastfeeding Education Through a Gamified Mobile App

Interactive technology offers a unique opportunity to supplement breastfeeding education, engaging expecting parents in reflection on breastfeeding. Yet, interventions typically target mothers, and although partner support is an important predictor of breastfeeding success, it is rarely addressed in interventions. We present 3, 2, 1 Start with Breastfeeding, a gamified mobile app that allows users to take care of a virtual baby alone or with their partner while engaging with educational content. The app was designed off an existing breastfeeding intervention, and leverages Self-Determination Theory to address parents and their partners. An evaluation with twelve parents show that the app engaged parents and their partners, and successfully communicated the lived experience of early-stage breastfeeding. However, our results also suggest that involving partners needs to be done with nuance to emphasise autonomy. We discuss these findings to derive considerations for the design of interactive interventions to support breastfeeding.