Policy Press

Social Experiences of Breastfeeding

Building Bridges between Research, Policy and Practice

Edited by Sally Dowling, David Pontin and Kate Boyer

Published

Sep 5, 2018

Page count

280 pages

ISBN

978-1447338505

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Sep 5, 2018

Page count

280 pages

ISBN

978-1447338499

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Sep 5, 2018

Page count

280 pages

ISBN

978-1447338529

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Sep 5, 2018

Page count

280 pages

ISBN

978-1447338536

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press
Social Experiences of Breastfeeding

This book brings together international academics, policy makers and practitioners to build bridges between the real-world and scholarship on breastfeeding.

It asks the question: How can the latest social science research into breastfeeding be used to improve support at both policy and practice level, in order to help women breastfeed and to breastfeed for longer?

The edited collection includes discussion about the social and cultural contexts of breastfeeding and looks at how policy and practice can apply this to women’s experiences.

This will be essential reading for academics, policy makers and practitioners in public health, midwifery, child health, sociology, women's studies, psychology, human geography and anthropology, who want to make a real change for mothers.

Sally Dowling is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, UWE, Bristol. She has published on breastfeeding in public, stigma, liminality and long-term breastfeeding. She is Associate Editor for International Breastfeeding Journal.

David Pontin is Professor of Community Health, University of South Wales. His current research focuses on family resilience (www.frait.wales) and the implications for health visiting practice.

Kate Boyer is a Senior Lecturer in feminist geography in the School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. She has published on breastfeeding in public, combining lactation with wage work, breastmilk donation and breastfeeding activism.

Introduction ~ Sally Dowling, David Pontin and Kate Boyer

The UK policy context: reconfiguration of the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative to reflect the importance of relationships and ensuring sustainability ~ Francesca Entwistle and Fiona Dykes

Part I: Breastfeeding and emotions

Managing the dynamics of shame in breastfeeding support ~ Dawn Leeming

Breastfeeding’s emotional intensity: pride, shame and status ~ Lisa Smyth

‘Betwixt and between’: women’s experiences of breastfeeding long term ~ Sally Dowling

Weaving breastfeeding practices into policy ~ Lucila Newell

Breastfeeding and emotions: reflections for policy and practice ~ Sally Johnson and Sally Tedstone

Part II: Cultures of breastfeeding

‘Missing milk’: an exploration of migrant mothers’ experiences of infant feeding in the UK ~ Louise Condon

Changing cultures of night-time breastfeeding and sleep in the US ~ Cecilia Tomori

Breastfeeding and modern parenting: when worlds collide ~ Amy Brown

Parenting ideologies, infant feeding and popular culture ~ Abigail Locke

Cultures of breastfeeding: reflections for policy and practice ~ Sally Tedstone and Geraldine Lucas

Part III: Breastfeeding and popular culture

Law of lactation breaks in the UK: employers’ perspectives ~ Melanie Fraser

Making breastfeeding social: the role of brelfies in breastfeeding’s burgeoning publics ~ Fiona Giles

Encountering public art: monumental breasts and the Skywhale ~ Alison Bartlett

Embodiment as a gauge of individual, public and planetary health ~ Maia Boswell-Penc

Breastfeeding and popular culture: reflections for policy and practice ~ Nicki Symes, Elizabeth Mayo, Emma Laird

Series context: reflection on experiences of attending seminar series ~ Sally Tedstone

Conclusion ~ Sally Dowling, David Pontin and Kate Boyer