Infant Feeding in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: Perceptions and Experiences of Maternal Grandmothers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the primary factors that influenced grandmothers’ choices of infant feeding and to explore the role that grandmothers feel they played in their daughters’ choices about infant feeding. Twenty-two maternal grandmothers who bottle fed their children and whose daughters also bottle fed their babies were recruited to participate in 4 focus groups and/or 2 interviews. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, 3 themes emerged that described how grandmothers felt about their infant feeding experiences: “powerlessness,” “modesty,” and “ambivalence.” These themes and their implications are discussed in this article.

There's no formula for a good mother: shame and estranged maternal labour

“…The province, and St. John's in particular (because it is urban and thus far more accessible in terms of services for its inhabitants), has benefitted in recent years from an intensified campaign to promote breastfeeding, including video commercials and billboards featuring local celebrities who encourage mothers to breastfeed, posters normalising breastfeeding in public, the provincial Breastfeeding Coalition's promotion of the World Health Organization's (WHO) ‘Baby Friendly Initiative’ and the naming of the local infant weigh-in clinics as ‘breastfeeding support groups’. Therefore, St. John's reflects both the international trend of the past two decades to encourage breastfeeding, but also a prominent practice of formula feeding informed by myths about breastmilk, and discomfort with the practice of breastfeeding (Temple Newhook et al, 2013: 33–40; Young et al, 2016: 226).…”

“…Newfoundland is relatively homogeneous in terms of its racial and ethnic composition, with over ‘95% of Newfoundlanders identify[ing] themselves as either of Canadian, English, or Irish origin’ (Statistics Canada, quoted in Young et al, 2016: 225), and, when coupled with the fact that infant feeding is a sensitive and highly fraught topic, recruiting a diversity of participants was a challenge. Asking parents how they feed their children, and why, may appear as an unwanted opportunity to be scrutinised and judged.…”

A cross‐sectional study of breastfed infants referred for tongue tie assessment and frenotomy in one Canadian health region

“…19 To this end, our research team is committed to studying breastfeeding practices, attitudes, and behaviors in the province. 5,[20][21][22][23][24][25] Moreover, the results of our qualitative study on mothers' experiences breastfeeding a child with TT highlighted the inadequate referral, assessment, and treatment processes for TT in our health region. 5 Recognizing the need for an evidence-informed approach to assist families experiencing breastfeeding challenges, in 2016 we held a nationally-funded research planning and knowledge exchange forum on the topic of ankyloglossia and infant nutrition.…”

“…Breastfeeding initiation rates increased in our province from 64% in 2007 to 76% in 2017; however, exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months remains low at 15% 19 . To this end, our research team is committed to studying breastfeeding practices, attitudes, and behaviors in the province 5,20–25 . Moreover, the results of our qualitative study on mothers’ experiences breastfeeding a child with TT highlighted the inadequate referral, assessment, and treatment processes for TT in our health region 5 …”

Mothers' experiences of breastfeeding a child with tongue‐tie

“…These data raise an important question: for many mothers who intend to breastfeed, what factors complicate the breastfeeding experience and lead to early breastfeeding cessation? This question has become a major focus of the Baby‐Friendly Council of NL, as members of our research team seek to understand infant feeding practices through analysis of survey data collected in our province‐wide cohort study Feeding infants in Newfoundland and Labrador (FiNaL) (Alkusayer et al, 2018; Temple Newhook et al, 2017; Twells et al, 2016) and through a number of qualitative research studies (Ludlow et al, 2012; Temple Newhook et al, 2013; Young et al, 2016).…”