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'Supply' and 'demand': breastfeeding as labour
1Maternal and Infant Health, Midwifery Studies Research Unit, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE UK. fcdykes@clan.ac.uk
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|March 8, 2005
Summary
Breastfeeding women often distrust their bodies, viewing it as a production project. Rebuilding trust requires valuing embodiment and relationality over efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Health and Illness
- Midwifery Studies
- Critical Ethnography
Background:
- Postnatal ward settings significantly influence women's breastfeeding experiences.
- Cultural pressures often frame breastfeeding as a productive, yet uncertain, endeavor.
- Women may mistrust their bodies' ability to breastfeed effectively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore influences on women's breastfeeding experiences in postnatal wards.
- To understand how women conceptualize and manage breastfeeding.
- To identify strategies for rebuilding trust in women's bodies and breastfeeding.
Main Methods:
- Critical ethnographic study in two English maternity units.
- Participant observation of midwife-woman encounters.
- Focused interviews with women and guided conversations with midwives.
- Thematic networks analysis to construct themes.
Main Results:
- Women viewed breastfeeding as a 'productive' project but doubted their bodies' efficacy.
- Emphasis was placed on breast milk as nutrition, not relational bonding.
- Unpredictable infant demands challenged women's boundaries and sense of normalcy.
- Hospital settings and healthcare practices reinforced these experiences.
Conclusions:
- Re-establishing trust in women's bodies and breastfeeding is crucial.
- Embracing embodiment and relationality, while avoiding essentialism, is key.
- Challenging cultural norms of disembodied, efficient production is necessary.