Perceptions and Practices of Infant Feeding among African American Women

A large urban hospital in Florida implemented changes to achieve the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) designation in 2015 resulting in an increase of exclusive breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge; however, African American women continue to have the lowest rates overall. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 African American women who received prenatal care at a low-income women's clinic and gave birth at an affiliated BFHI hospital. Using a medical anthropology analytical framework to examine predisposing, enabling, and service-related factors that affect breastfeeding, this study investigated interpersonal, sociocultural, and institutional barriers to breastfeeding. Common challenges experienced by participants included lack of maternity leave from work, lack of access to electric pumps, social pressures to initiate formula supplementation, fears that breastfeeding renders infants overly dependent on their mother's care, and a lack of breastfeeding role models and/or support networks to normalize longer-term breastfeeding. We conclude that efforts to increase breastfeeding rates for African American women and promote culturally sensitive interventions must address underlying socioeconomic and structural barriers, women's perceptions of breastfeeding benefits and difficulties, and the need for improvements in postnatal lactation and doula support to foster a more inclusive culture of breastfeeding.