Avery Alexis, Zimmermann Kristine, Underwood Patricia W, Magnus Jeanette H
New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
Birth. 2009 Jun;36(2):141-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2009.00312.x.
The characteristics that distinguish women who breastfeed successfully from those who do not are just beginning to be identified in breastfeeding literature. The objective of this study was to identify the processes contributing to breastfeeding decisions among Caucasian and African American women.
Data were initially collected through 24 focus groups consisting of separate groups of African American and Caucasian pregnant women, and breastfeeding and formula-feeding mothers from three major United States cities. The focus group study was initiated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to obtain data on salient messages that would inform a national campaign to promote breastfeeding. This study was a secondary analysis of those data using a modified grounded theory approach.
The process that emerged associated with successful breastfeeding was labeled "confident commitment." This process included several components: a) confidence in the process of breastfeeding, b) confidence in their ability to breastfeed, and c) commitment to making breastfeeding work despite obstacles.
Contrary to popular conceptions, breastfeeding appears to be a learned skill. If mothers achieved a level of "confident commitment" before the birth, they were able to withstand lack of support by significant others and common challenges that occurred as they initiated breastfeeding. Without the element of "confident commitment," a decision to breastfeed appeared to fall apart once challenged.
在母乳喂养文献中，刚刚开始明确区分成功母乳喂养的女性与未成功母乳喂养的女性的特征。本研究的目的是确定影响白种人和非裔美国女性母乳喂养决策的过程。
数据最初通过24个焦点小组收集，这些焦点小组由来自美国三个主要城市的非裔美国孕妇、白种孕妇、母乳喂养母亲和配方奶喂养母亲的不同小组组成。焦点小组研究由美国卫生与公众服务部发起，以获取有关显著信息的数据，这些信息将为全国性的母乳喂养推广活动提供参考。本研究使用改进的扎根理论方法对这些数据进行二次分析。
与成功母乳喂养相关的过程被标记为“自信承诺”。这个过程包括几个组成部分：a）对母乳喂养过程的信心，b）对自己母乳喂养能力的信心，以及c）尽管有障碍也要致力于使母乳喂养成功。
与普遍观念相反，母乳喂养似乎是一项需要学习的技能。如果母亲在分娩前达到了“自信承诺”的程度，她们就能承受重要他人的支持不足以及开始母乳喂养时出现的常见挑战。没有“自信承诺”这一要素，母乳喂养的决定一旦受到挑战似乎就会瓦解。
