**Background:** The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted maternal and child health services globally, including breastfeeding support. Concerns about vertical transmission led to strict protocols, delayed skin-to-skin contact, and separation of mothers and infants, which negatively impacted breastfeeding initiation and continuity. While WHO recommended that mothers with COVID-19 continue breastfeeding with appropriate health precautions, many mothers faced barriers including fear of transmission, isolation, and lack of consistent guidance from healthcare providers. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of mothers with COVID-19 during the breastfeeding period.
**Methods:** This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach. Participants were recruited via purposive sampling from community health center areas in Central Java Province and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Inclusion criteria were mothers with confirmed COVID-19 during the breastfeeding period (newborns to children ≤24 months), fluent verbal communication, and willingness to participate. A total of 21 mothers participated. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted (17 face-to-face, 4 online) between June and July 2022, each lasting 30–45 minutes. Interview questions explored breastfeeding practices, feelings and experiences, motivation, physical condition, social environment, and spiritual condition during COVID-19. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability criteria per Lincoln and Guba.
**Key Results:** Participants were aged 22–39 years, all Muslim, with education ranging from elementary to master's degree. Among the 21 mothers, 28.6% continued direct breastfeeding, 28.6% gave expressed breast milk, and 42.9% did not breastfeed while COVID-19 positive. Most mothers (76.2%) were not rooming-in with their babies. None of the mothers who gave birth while COVID-19 positive had early initiation of breastfeeding. Three main themes emerged: (1) Breastfeeding during COVID-19 confirmation, including decisions to breastfeed or not, application of health protocols (mask-wearing, handwashing), barriers (separation, NICU admission, fear of transmission), maternal efficacy and motivation, and challenges (low milk supply, nipple issues, baby refusal); (2) Changes in maternal condition, encompassing physical symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, anosmia, headache, sore throat, shortness of breath; some asymptomatic), psychological effects (sadness, anxiety, disappointment, shock, rejection, trauma), social conditions (isolation, stigma from neighbors), and spiritual coping (prayer, surrender to God's will); (3) Social support received, including husband and family support (delivering food, baby care), neighbor support (groceries, offers of help), health worker support (information, encouragement), and healthcare provider support (noting differences between hospital care—immediate separation—and community health center care—rooming-in allowed). Mothers infected in 2020 and 2021 showed greater concerns about transmission and were more likely to separate from their babies compared to those infected in 2022.
**Clinical Implications:** The study underscores the need for healthcare providers to deliver consistent, evidence-based guidance supporting breastfeeding and rooming-in for mothers with COVID-19, given the substantial benefits of breastfeeding and the low risk of transmission when health protocols are followed. Comprehensive lactation services, emotional support, and clear standard operating procedures that prioritize maternal-infant well-being over separation are essential. Support from husbands, families, communities, and health workers is critical to enable mothers with COVID-19 to continue breastfeeding successfully.