Long-Term Breastfeeding: The Embodied Experiences of Finnish Mothers

Säilävaara, Jenny

doi:10.1080/08038740.2019.1694581

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…There are European qualitative studies which speci cally examine the experiences of women breastfeeding beyond one year. Säilävaara (20) explored how 39 Finnish women emphasized the functionality of their bodies and commonly had positive emotions towards their experiences. Olanders (21) examined how ten women breastfeeding toddlers, with median age of 37 and university degree or above, were treated by preschool teachers in Sweden.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

WITHDRAWN: Strengthening our understanding of enablers and barriers for breastfeeding to the WHO recommended guidelines of two years and beyond – a global sample using a cross-sectional design

Jackson

Hallam

Safari

2022

Preprint

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Background There are major global disparities for women breastfeeding to the WHO recommendations of two years and beyond for optimal health benefits. This could be explained by multifaceted enablers and barriers within diverse cultural and social spheres. However, the majority of research examining continued breastfeeding is conducted with women breastfeeding under one year. Research which has explored the experiences of women breastfeeding longer is limited to a small homogenous sample. Therefore, this study aimed to strengthen the knowledge, specifically for women breastfeeding beyond one year, of enablers and barriers for continuing to breastfeed to the recommended age of two years and beyond. Methods A cross-sectional online questionnaire recruited 19,006 participants using social media. The statistical analysis and null hypothesis testing were conducted using non-parametric statistics and a multivariate logistical regression to explore relationships between the independent variables (enablers and barriers) against the dependent variable (duration of breastfeeding). Results The results indicated that mothers with multiple children appeared to be breastfeeding for a longer duration. Where the participants resided globally did not make a significant difference, participants belonging to different ethnic groups did. Those participants who identified as Asian, First Nation, Indigenous or Pacific Islander or were from the religious group Hindu were more likely to breastfeed to the recommend age. Participants who identified as Black (African or Caribbean decent) or were from the religious group Jewish were less likely to breastfeed to the recommend age. Age, level of education, geographic location, initial breastfeeding experience, multiple births, partner, family, social support, healthcare support and experience of breastfeeding in public were not significant when all other variables were considered. Those tandem feeding, Muslim ethnic group and views on specific health support where retained as covariates and confounders due to sensitivity to the other variables. Conclusions This study is the first to look at variables across different demographic groups and geographical location specifically of those breastfeeding beyond one year. It highlights that different ethnic and religious groups continue to have different outcomes for breastfeeding duration. These differences cannot be ignored when planning in national policy and intervention design.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

WITHDRAWN: Strengthening our understanding of enablers and barriers for breastfeeding to the WHO recommended guidelines of two years and beyond – a global sample using a cross-sectional design

Jackson

Hallam

Safari

2022

Preprint

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“…Experiences of moral judgement have, however, also been revealed in studies of mothers who lactate for an extended period (e.g. Dowling and Pontin, 2017;Faircloth, 2009Faircloth, , 2010Newman and Williamson, 2018;Säilävaara, 2020). Taboos surrounding 'too little' and 'too much' breastfeeding have, in other words, been approached separately.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modern Taboos and Moral Regulations: Mother’s Milk in the Symbolic Order

Andrews

2021

Sociology

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This article offers a sociological analysis of taboos surrounding breast milk and breastfeeding and how these are expressed within a breastfeeding friendly society such as Norway. Two taboos are identified: (1) Giving up breastfeeding ‘too early’ and (2) not giving up breastfeeding ‘in time’. These taboos are explored through the lenses of Mary Douglas and her conceptualization of purity and danger. Attention is particularly drawn to the ways in which the very same substance, a bodily fluid, and a practice changes symbolic character – from pure to impure – when the child reaches a certain age. Both the substance and the practice become ‘matter out of place’ depending on context. The analysis is based on data stemming from ethnographic interviews with mothers; newspaper and magazine articles and photos; internet accounts and blog comments.

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“…Research on the embodied practice of breastfeeding to date is extensive, especially in medical research, where it is often focused on the benefits of breastfeeding (Victora et al, 2016) and on breastfeeding support for women (Cato, Sylvén, Henriksson, & Rubertsson, 2020). Feminist research on breastfeeding in the humanities and social sciences has charted the cultural histories of breastfeeding (Sjöblad, 1997;Yalom, 1997), and explored public breastfeeding discourses (Åström, 2015;Sällivaara, 2019;Wolf, 2010aWolf, , 2010b, typically raising questions about gendered power relations (Badinter, 2011;Friedman, 2009;Wolf, 2010b). Breastfeeding and bodies/embodiment has also been addressed in queer studies research on men and lactation (Cohen, 2017), which, like feminist studies, emphasizes that breastfeeding, although practiced almost exclusively by females, is a cross-gender concern marked by power.…”

Section: Feminist Perspectives On Maternal Bodies and Breastfeedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bodies get in the way: breastfeeding and gender equality in Swedish handbooks for new parents

Henriksson

Rubertsson

2021

NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research

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This article offers an analysis of three popular Swedish handbooks for new parents, written by authors in the "media class." In these texts breastfeeding as a gendered, embodied practice collides with the Swedish ideal of genderequal parenting. The analysis explores the various ways that gendered bodies, gendered (parental) rights, and gender equality figure in the handbooks, drawing upon feminist studies of bodies and embodiment, and of breastfeeding in particular. It contextualizes the primary texts in terms of the Swedish ideal of gender-equal parenting, and in terms of current breastfeeding practices in Sweden. In the handbooks, the "breastfeeding imperative" is resisted because it is irrelevant and constraining for women, but also because it alienates fathers from infant feeding. Breastfeeding is ultimately rejected for reasons grounded in differences between gendered parental bodies, and particular understandings of gender-equal parenting. We contend that the books' suggestion that breastfeeding be rejected in the name of parental gender equality, while it may cause women to feel physically free, also supports fathers' rights discourses and in fact serves to (once more) marginalize women's bodies, straight and queer.

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Long-Term Breastfeeding: The Embodied Experiences of Finnish Mothers

Cited by 9 publications

References 35 publications

WITHDRAWN: Strengthening our understanding of enablers and barriers for breastfeeding to the WHO recommended guidelines of two years and beyond – a global sample using a cross-sectional design

WITHDRAWN: Strengthening our understanding of enablers and barriers for breastfeeding to the WHO recommended guidelines of two years and beyond – a global sample using a cross-sectional design

Modern Taboos and Moral Regulations: Mother’s Milk in the Symbolic Order

Bodies get in the way: breastfeeding and gender equality in Swedish handbooks for new parents

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