‘It should be the most natural thing in the world’: exploring first‐time mothers' breastfeeding difficulties in the UK using audio‐diaries and interviews

Abstract

Breastfeeding is a practice which is promoted and scrutinised in the UK and internationally. In this paper we use interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of eight, British, first-time mothers who struggled with breastfeeding in the early postpartum period. Participants kept audio diary accounts of their infant feeding experiences across a seven day period immediately following the birth of their infant and took part in related semistructured interviews a few days after completion of the diary. The overarching theme identified was of a tension between the participants' lived, embodied experience of struggling to breastfeed and the cultural construction of breastfeeding as 'natural' and trouble-free. Participants reported particular difficulties interpreting the pain they experienced during feeds, and their emerging maternal identities were threatened, often fluctuating considerably from feed to feed. We discuss some of the implications for breastfeeding promotion and argue for greater awareness and understanding of breastfeeding difficulties, so that breastfeeding women are less likely to interpret these as a personal shortcoming in a manner which disempowers them. We also advocate the need to address proximal and distal influences around the breastfeeding dyad and in particular to consider the broader cultural context in the United Kingdom where breastfeeding is routinely 2 promoted yet often constructed as a shameful act if performed in the public arena.

“Yo quiero amamantar a mi hijo”: Develando la experiencia de mujeres que enfrentaron dificultades en su proceso de lactancia

“…Dado lo anterior, se trata de un período lleno de desafíos para cualquier madre, los que pueden acentuarse cuando el proceso no se desarrolla de manera fisiológica o cuando ciertas prácticas del equipo de salud interfieren en él 8,14,15 La experiencia materna de amamantar al hijo se constituye en una vivencia cargada de emociones contradictorias, ya que por una parte la madre espera sentirse feliz con su llegada, pero por otro lado comienza a experimentar emociones negativas hacia ella misma, sus cercanos y a veces hacia su propio niño, en situaciones en dónde las cosas no se dan como ella y su entorno esperaban, escenario que se presenta por ejemplo, cuando la madre tiene dificultades con el amamantamiento 9,16 Los sentimientos de angustia, estrés emocional, cansancio físico y psicológico, se develaron en este estudio como protagonistas, al inicio de la vivencia en la dificultad para amamantar al niño, lo que coincide con lo encontrado en otras publicaciones [17][18][19] . Coincidente con esta investigación, estudios seña-lan que la decisión de amamantar y el deseo de hacerlo a pesar de las dificultades, se basa en la convicción de que la LM es lo mejor para el niño.…”

The Role of Social-Cognitive and Emotional Factors on Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration

“…Researchers often focus on the role of emotions in deterring beneficial health behaviors. Indeed, research has found that women may be unlikely to breastfeed if they fear that the infant may not receive adequate nutrition (Brown, Raynor, & Lee, 2011;Williamson, Leeming, Lyttle, & Johnson, 2012) or that breastfeeding may damage their physical appearance (Hannon, Willis, Bishop-Townsend, Martinez, & Scrimshaw, 2000;Nabulsi, 2011). However, research has suggested that some, more complex, emotions (e.g., pride, regret, guilt, and shame) may serve a self-regulatory role and thus promote beneficial behaviors (Giner-Sorolla, 2001; Van der Schalk, Bruder, & Manstead, 2012).…”

Using a smartphone app in qualitative research: the good, the bad and the ugly

“…Meeting participants to explain how the app works would give the most thorough introduction to the technology, and allow questions to be asked and tasks practiced. This has been employed by researchers undertaking audio-visual methods, to ensure participants are sufficiently briefed and familiar with the devices (Bolger, Davis and Rafaeli, 2003;Duke, 2012;Williamson et al, 2011). However one of the benefits of using smartphones is being able to easily access and include a geographically diverse sample (MacKerron and Mourato, 2013;Patel et al, 2013); if researchers are required to meet with participants, this would be negated, or at least it would make it costly.…”

“…For example, researchers can now send questions to, and receive responses from, participants in real time'. Diary-based methods have not generally followed advances in technology, with empirical studies still overwhelmingly providing participants with audio or video equipment (see for example Cherrington and Watson, 2010;Tamminen and Holt, 2010;Williamson et al, 2011) or maintaining the written format (see for example Day and Thatcher, 2009;Duke, 2012). One example where advances in technology have been utilised in audiovisual methods is Plowman and Stevenson's (2012) study that collected qualitative data by asking parents to use their mobile phone to take and send images for a family time use study.…”