Women’s experiences of breastfeeding: A narrative review of qualitative studies

Afoakwah, Georgina; Smyth, DrRebecca; Lavender, Dame Tina

doi:10.12968/ajmw.2013.7.2.71

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…2 Despite these figures, women are legally protected to breastfeed publicly (up to 26 weeks) by the Equality Act 2010 and any public service providers (eg, cafes, libraries, public transport, etc) have a legal obligation to protect breastfeeding women from discrimination. 3 Further qualitative research [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] highlights similar concerns to these reports, illustrating that a women's comfort to feed in public is related to the perceived social, cultural and public values around breastfeeding. It has been identified previously that such values may be derived from seeing very few women breastfeeding in public in the UK, 6 13 alongside a lack of breastfeeding support in TV, print and social media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Factors important for women who breastfeed in public: a content analysis of review data from FeedFinder

et al. 2016

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ObjectiveTo examine how the breastfeeding experience is represented by users of FeedFinder (a mobile phone application for finding, reviewing and sharing places to breastfeed in public).DesignContent analysis using FeedFinder database.SettingFeedFinder, UK, September 2013–June 2015.MethodsReviews obtained through FeedFinder over a period of 21 months were systematically coded using a conventional content analysis approach, average review scores were calculated for the rating criteria in FeedFinder (comfort, hygiene, privacy, baby facilities) and review texts were analysed for sentiment. We used data from Foursquare to describe the type of venues visited and cross-referenced the location of venues with the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.ResultsA total of 1757 reviews were analysed. Of all the reviews obtained, 80% of those were classified as positive, 15.4% were classified as neutral and 4.3% were classified as negative. Important factors that were discussed by women include facilities, service, level of privacy available and qualities of a venue. The majority of venues were classified as cafes (26.4%), shops (24.4%) and pubs (13.4%). Data on IMD were available for 1229 venues mapped within FeedFinder, 23% were located within the most deprived quintile and 16% were located in the least deprived quintile.ConclusionsWomen create content that is positive and informative when describing their breastfeeding experience in public. Public health bodies and business owners have the potential to use the data from FeedFinder to impact on service provision. Further work is needed to explore the demographic differences that may help to tailor public health interventions aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates in the UK.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Factors important for women who breastfeed in public: a content analysis of review data from FeedFinder

et al. 2016

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“…'s (2013) review of qualitative studies exploring women's experiences of breastfeeding found that breastfeeding was experienced as a symbol of motherhood, connecting mother and baby. However, they also highlighted a dilemma of expectations vs. reality of breastfeeding and a need for n reassurance and support.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I thought it would keep them all quiet’. Women's experiences of breastfeeding as illusions of compliance: an interpretive phenomenological study

Spencer

Greatrex‐White

Fraser

2014

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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AimsTo explore the experiences of breastfeeding women.BackgroundThere is a plethora of data demonstrating that human breast milk provides complete nutrition for human infants. While the rate of initiation of breastfeeding in the United Kingdom has shown a steady increase in the last 25 years, rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the early weeks and months over the same time period have shown only marginal increases. This study was designed to extend current knowledge around breastfeeding experiences, decisions and behaviours.DesignQualitative, interpretive phenomenological approach.MethodsData were collected between July 2009–January 2010 through in-depth interviews with 22 women from a city in the East Midlands where the prevalence of breastfeeding has showed a decreasing trend. Data were collected between 3–6 months after the birth of their youngest baby.FindingsAnalysis of data uncovered a key theme: illusions of compliance. The findings revealed that women's breastfeeding behaviours were socially mediated. They adopted a good mother image by conforming to the moral obligation to breastfeed immediately after their babies were born. Those women who struggled to establish breastfeeding tried to hide their difficulties rather than admit that they were not coping.ConclusionThis study provides insights into women's infant feeding decisions and behaviours, building on understandings of ‘good mothering’ in the wider literature. Importantly we highlight some of the previously unknown strategies that women employed to portray themselves as calm, coping and in control when in reality they were struggling and not enjoying breastfeeding.

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“…) and, as breastfeeding is a socio‐cultural construct (Afoakwah et al . ; Turner and Norwood ), it is important to understand whether and how women can negotiate mutual adjustments for breastfeeding in diverse cultural settings. The paucity of research on breastfeeding at work in the management and organizations literature is likely to be related to masculine ideas about workers and objection to leaky maternal bodies in the workplace (Gatrell ).…”

Section: Management Of the Return To Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternity Management in SMEs: A Transdisciplinary Review and Research Agenda

Stumbitz

Lewis

Rouse

2017

Int J Management Reviews

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This paper provides a transdisciplinary critical review of the literature on maternity management in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), embedded within the wider literatures on maternity in the workplace. The key objectives are to describe what is known about the relations that shape maternity management in smaller workplaces and to identify research directions to enhance this knowledge. The review is guided by theory of organizational gendering and small business management, conceptualizing adaptions to maternity as a process of mutual adjustment and dynamic capability within smaller firms' informally negotiated order, resource endowments and wider labour and product/service markets. A context-sensitive lens is also applied. The review highlights the complex range of processes involved in SME maternity management and identifies major research gaps in relation to pregnancy, maternity leave and the return to work (family-friendly working and breastfeeding) in these contexts. This blind spot is surprising, as SMEs employ the majority of women worldwide. A detailed agenda for future research is outlined, building on the gaps identified by the review and founded on renewed theoretical direction.

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Women’s experiences of breastfeeding: A narrative review of qualitative studies

Cited by 16 publications

References 29 publications

Factors important for women who breastfeed in public: a content analysis of review data from FeedFinder

Factors important for women who breastfeed in public: a content analysis of review data from FeedFinder

‘I thought it would keep them all quiet’. Women's experiences of breastfeeding as illusions of compliance: an interpretive phenomenological study

Maternity Management in SMEs: A Transdisciplinary Review and Research Agenda

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