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Ms. Louise Gallagher
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing & Midwifery

Biography

Louise Gallagher has recently completed a research project for her PhD studies "Sub-optimal breastfeeding experience and its effects on women, factors affecting initiation and duration of breastfeeding in Ireland". She is a reviewer for several professional peer review journals. Louise has worked in midwifery practice and education and her research plan is centred around the following areas: breastfeeding, cultural competency, maternity care and professional regulation. Additional research interests include evaluation of knowledge and skills of health practitioners and voluntary supporters in supporting breastfeeding women, mixed-methods research and informed choice for women in maternity services. Louise represented midwifery as a member of the professional regulator; An Bord Altranais, from 2007 - 2012

Publications and Further Research Outputs

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Alsulimani, M., Gallagher, L., Hughes, M., The Lived Experiences of working mothers who plan to exclusively breastfeed their infants upon returning to work in Saudi Arabia: An IPA study, 4 March, 2025 Conference Paper, 2025

McCarthy, E., Gallagher, L. & de Vries, J., Women's perspectives on the role and impact of Breastfeeding Support Groups in Ireland, Midwifery, 104181, 2024, p15 Journal Article, 2024 DOI TARA - Full Text

Charlotta Dykes, Pernilla Ny, Yvonne L. Hauck, Lesley Kuliukas, Louise Gallagher, Vivienne Brady & Christine Rubertsson , Women's perceptions of factors needed to encourage a culture of public breastfeeding: a cross-sectional study in Sweden, Ireland and Australia, International Breastfeeding Journal , 18, (49), 2023, p1 - 8 Journal Article, 2023 URL

Louise Gallagher Vivienne Brady Lesley Kuliukas Charlotta Dykes Christine Rubertsson Yvonne Hauck, Australian, Irish, and Swedish women's comfort levels when breastfeeding in public, BMC Public Health, 23, (2535), 2023, p1 - 8 Journal Article, 2023 URL

Elizabeth McCarthy (Trinity College Dublin), Caroline Jagoe (Trinity College Dublin), Sara Kift (Trinity College Dublin), Martina Mullin (Trinity College Dublin) , Siobhan O'Brien Green (Trinity College Dublin) , Margaret Dunlea (Trinity College Dublin), Jessica Eustace-Cook (Library, Trinity College Dublin) , Claire Marshall (Trinity College Dublin) , Louise Gallagher (Trinity College Dublin), Survey of staff and students experiences of breastfeeding facilities in a third level educational institute in the Republic of Ireland, 'Back to normal or forward to better? New horizons in healthcare': Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2023 (THEconf2023, edited by 7-9 March , 2023 Oral Presentation, 2023

Carroll L, Gallagher L, Smith V, Pregnancy, birth and neonatal outcomes associated with reduced fetal movement: a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomised studies, Midwifery , 116, (103524), 2023, p1-15 Journal Article, 2023 DOI TARA - Full Text

Gallagher, L., Power, B. & Muldoon, K., Antenatal Interventions for increasing the initiation and duration of exclusive breastfeeding: an overview of systematic reviews, Back to Normal or Forward to Better? New Horizons in Healthcare, Dublin, 7-8th March, 2023 Oral Presentation, 2023

Louise Gallagher, Antenatal interventions for increasing the initiation and duration of breastfeeding: an overview of systematic reviews, ATU Sligo, 2023 Thesis, 2023

Manar Alsulimani, Louise Gallagher, Mary Hughes, Factors Influencing Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Working mothers: A Critical Review, ALCI National Conference 2023, Portlaoise, Ireland, 29th, 30th Sept 23, 2023 Poster, 2023

Alsulimani, M., Hughes, M, Gallagher, L, Factors Influencing Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Working mothers: A Critical Review, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference (THEconf2023) `Back to normal or forward to better? New horizons in healthcare, Trinity College Dublin, 07-09 March 2023, 2023, 2023 Oral Presentation, 2023

Corrigan S., Howard V., Gallagher L., Smith V., Hannon K., Carroll M., Begley C., Midwives' views of an evidence-based intervention to reduce caesarean section rates in Ireland, Women and Birth, 2022 Journal Article, 2022 TARA - Full Text DOI

Gallagher L, Smith V, Carroll M, Hannon K, Lawler D, Begley C., What would reduce caesarean section rates?-Views from pregnant women and clinicians in Ireland., PloS one, 17, (4), 2022, pe0267465 Journal Article, 2022 DOI

Yvonne L. Hauck, Lesley Kuliukas, Louise Gallagher, Vivienne Brady, Charlotta Dykes and Christine Rubertsson, Breastfeeding in Public: An International Exploration of Women's Experiences, More Than Milk Lactation Science Symposium, The University of Western Australia, 25 Nov 2022, 84, (5), Proceedings , 2022, pp1 - 2, ppdoi: 10.3390/proceedings202308 Conference Paper, 2022 URL

Hauck T.L. Kuliukas L.Gallagher L , BRADY V. Dykes C. and Rubertsson C, Helpful and challenging aspects of breastfeeding in public for women living in Australia, Ireland and Sweden: a crosssectional study, International Breastfeeding Journal , 15, (38), 2020, p1 - 14 Journal Article, 2020 URL

Valerie Smith, Louise Gallagher, Margaret Carroll, Kathleen Hannon, Cecily Begley, Antenatal and intrapartum interventions for reducing caesarean section, promoting vaginal birth, and reducing fear of childbirth: An overview of systematic reviews, PLoS ONE, 14, (10), 2019 Journal Article, 2019 URL

Elizabeth McCarthy Quinn, Louise Gallagher, Jan de Vries, A qualitative exploration of breastfeeding support groups in Ireland from the women's perspectives, Midwifery, 78, 2019, p71 - 77 Journal Article, 2019 URL URL DOI

Carroll Lorraine, Gallagher Louise, Smith Valerie, Risk factors for reduced fetal movements in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis, European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 243, 2019, p72 - 82 Journal Article, 2019 URL

Kathryn Muldoon, Louise Gallagher, Denise McGuinness and Valerie Smith, Effect of frenotomy on breastfeeding variables in infants with ankyloglossia (tongue-tie): a prospective before and after cohort study, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 17, (373), 2017, p1-9 Journal Article, 2017 DOI URL

Al Namir H, Brady AM, Gallagher L., Fathers and breastfeeding: Attitudes, involvement and support, British Journal of Midwifery , 25, (7), 2017, p426 - 440 Journal Article, 2017

Gallagher L, Lawler D, Brady V, OBoyle C, Deasy A, Muldoon K, An evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of structured reflection for midwifery students in Ireland, Nurse Education in Practice, 22, 2017, p7 - 14 Journal Article, 2017 DOI

Yvonne L. Hauck, Ingrid Blixt, Ingegerd Hildingsson, Louise Gallagher, Christine Rubertsson, Brooke Thomson and Lucy Lewis, Australian, Irish and Swedish women's perceptions of what assisted them to breastfeed for six months: exploratory design using critical incident technique, BMC Public Health, 16, (1067), 2016 Journal Article, 2016 URL TARA - Full Text

Clare Quigley, Cristina Taut, Tamara Zigman, Louise Gallagher, Harry Campbell, Lina Zgaga, Association between Home Birth and Breast Feeding Outcomes: a Cross-Sectional Study in 28,125 Mother-Infant Pairs from Ireland and UK, British Medical Journal Open, 6, (e010551), 2016, p10.1136/bmjopen-2015- 010551 Journal Article, 2016 DOI

Szafranska, M. & Gallagher, L., Polish women's experiences of breastfeeding in Ireland , The Practising Midwife, 19, (1), 2016, p30 - 32 Journal Article, 2016

Gallagher L, Hauck Y, Hildingsson I, Blixt I, Rubertsson C, Factors which enable women to continue breastfeeding for six months: an international comparison between Ireland, Australia and Sweden., Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood: Bio-Cultural Perspectives, Dalarna, Sweden, 23rd-25th August, 2016 Conference Paper, 2016

Muldoon K, Gallagher L, Mc Guinness D, Smith V., Frenotomy and the associated effect on breastfeeding variables in newborn infants with ankyloglossia (tongue-tie)., Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood: Bio-Cultural Perspectives, Dalarna, Sweden, 23rd-25th August, 2016 Conference Paper, 2016

Carroll, M. , Gallagher, L., Clarke, M. , Millar, S., Begley, C. , Artificial milk-feeding women's views of their feeding choice in Ireland , Midwifery, 31, (6), 2015, p640 - 646 Journal Article, 2015 TARA - Full Text DOI

Gallagher L, Begley C, Clarke M, Determinants of breastfeeding initiation in Ireland., Irish journal of medical science, 185, (3), 2015, p663 - 668 Journal Article, 2015 TARA - Full Text URL DOI

Louise Gallagher, Attitudes towards, and experiences of, peer support among breastfeeding mothers, Maternal and Child Nutrition, Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood, Cumbria, UK, 11th June, 9, (4), John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2013, pp39 - 76 Oral Presentation, 2013

Louise Gallagher, Sub-optimal breastfeeding experience and its effects on women, factors affecting initiation and duration of breastfeeding in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, 2012 Thesis, 2012

Gallagher, L., Begley, C. & Clarke, M., The social context of breastfeeding in Ireland, 13th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 7th & 8th November, 2012, pp1 Meeting Abstract, 2012 URL

Gallagher L, Begley C, Clarke M. , Reconciling the decision to stop breast-feeding in the first six weeks, 29th Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives, , Durban , June, 2011, pp128 - 128 Meeting Abstract, 2011

Louise Gallagher, Infant feeding in Ireland - the historical perspective, MAINN, Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood Conference. , Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, United Kingdom., 8-10th Sept , 2009 Meeting Abstract, 2009

Louise Gallagher, Linda Biesty, Sally Millar, Peer supporters perceptions of a breast feeding education programme , International Confederation of Midwives, 28th Triennial Congress, Glasgow, 1-5th June 2008, 2008 Poster, 2008

Daly D, Biesty L, Gallagher L and Millar S., Midwife-led care in Ireland: an education, The Practising Midwife, 9, (9), 2006, p26 - 28 Journal Article, 2006

All 34 peer-reviewed publications

Research Expertise

Description

Louise's research area of interest lies within Maternity Care and Women's Health. She is interested in research relating to all aspects of midwifery, midwifery education and maternity care but currently focusing on breastfeeding and peer support.

Recognition

Memberships

Association of Lactation Consultants of Ireland 2004