Mahon-Daly Patricia, Andrews Gavin J
Faculty of Health Studies, Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, Newland Park Campus, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire HP8 4AD, UK.
Health Place. 2002 Jun;8(2):61-76. doi: 10.1016/s1353-8292(01)00026-0.
It is almost universally accepted that breastfeeding infants is nutritionally superior to bottle-feeding. However, despite this medical advice, in many countries breastfeeding rates remain low and in the UK, rates are relatively static. The literature on breastfeeding has discussed international rates and the broad socio-economic factors influencing these rates. Through an observational study of a group of breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women in the United Kingdom, this research utilises contemporary theoretical perspectives on the body, space and rites of passage, and investigates the reasons why some breastfeeding mothers may be in a liminal period, and the breastfeeding event itself, at times, a liminal and marginalised act. The paper argues that, for the group studied, breastfeeding is sometimes discouraged by its medicalisation, and that breastmilk and breastfeeding are often considered by mothers to be embarrassing. Many of the women studied regarded certain public and private places to be unacceptable places to breastfeed and claimed to modify their behaviour accordingly. The paper demonstrates the value of conducting locally based qualitative research into breastfeeding experiences, and of using theoretical perspectives from post-medical geography to interpret women's experiences.
几乎所有人都认为母乳喂养在营养方面优于奶瓶喂养。然而，尽管有这样的医学建议，但在许多国家，母乳喂养率仍然很低，在英国，母乳喂养率相对稳定。关于母乳喂养的文献讨论了国际上的母乳喂养率以及影响这些比率的广泛社会经济因素。通过对英国一组母乳喂养和非母乳喂养女性的观察性研究，本研究运用了关于身体、空间和过渡仪式的当代理论观点，调查了一些母乳喂养母亲可能处于阈限阶段的原因，以及母乳喂养这一行为本身有时为何是一种阈限性和边缘化行为。本文认为，对于所研究的群体而言，母乳喂养有时因其医学化而受到阻碍，而且母乳和母乳喂养常常被母亲们视为尴尬之事。许多接受研究的女性认为某些公共场所和私人场所不适合进行母乳喂养，并声称她们的行为也因此而有所改变。本文展示了对母乳喂养经历进行基于当地的定性研究以及运用后医学地理学的理论观点来解读女性经历的价值。
