Social Experiences of Breastfeeding

"This book does, as proposed, bring together research with discussions of practice and policy. It pulls together science and new ways of thinking that can help us consider how we can use women’s own experiences to improve the sociocultural and political context within which they make infant feeding decisions, engage in breastfeeding practice, and are, themselves, transformed by the experience." Journal of Human Lactation

"A readable, timely volume that draws together excellence in scholarship and practice for centering women’s experiences to advance solutions to improve the low rates of breastfeeding in the UK." Paige Hall Smith, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

"All the research shows that breastfeeding is good for babies - so why do breastfeeding rates remain so low in many countries? This book is unique in using insights from mothers themselves to suggest practical solutions. Required reading for professionals, policy-makers, or anyone doing research on breastfeeding." Maria Iacovou, University of Cambridge

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