Influences on infant-feeding beliefs and practices in an urban aboriginal community

The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service initiated a project to increase breast-feeding rates in the Melbourne Aboriginal community. The results of focus-group discussions on infant-feeding experiences and beliefs provided a wealth of information for the design of appropriate interventions. Most women wanted and expected to breast-feed. Some chose artificial feeding because of embarrassment, a belief that it is as good as breast-feeding, or perceptions that breast-feeding is painful and inconvenient. The most common reasons that women stopped breast-feeding were sore nipples, worries about their supply of milk and tiredness. Lack of knowledge, hospital practices, lack of support and appropriate advice, and lack of confidence and self-esteem contributed to these problems. Disruption of the passing on of knowledge of healthy infant-feeding practices between generations is another cultural loss suffered by Aboriginal communities. Efforts to restore traditional rates of breast-feeding need to be under Aboriginal control and to take account of these influences.