Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin St, Melbourne, Australia.
Int Breastfeed J. 2013 Dec 18;8(1):17. doi: 10.1186/1746-4358-8-17.
The health benefits of breastfeeding are well documented in public health and medical literature worldwide. Despite this, global rates of breastfeeding steadily decline during the first couple of months postpartum. Although immigrant women have higher initiation rates and a longer duration of breastfeeding overall, breastfeeding practices are compromised because of a myriad of socioeconomic and cultural factors, including the acculturation process. The objective of this study was to show how acculturation and cultural identity influenced breastfeeding practices among Indian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia.
Twelve case studies were employed to gather narratives of women's lived experiences. Ethnographic field research methods were used to collect data, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, case studies, and life histories. This provided in-depth information from women on various aspects of the immigrant experience of motherhood, including infant care and feeding. Participants were opportunistically recruited from Indian obstetricians and gynaecologists. Women identifying as ethnic Indian and in their third trimester of pregnancy were recruited. Interviews were conducted in women's homes in metropolitan Melbourne over a 12 month period between 2004 and 2005. Data were coded and analysed thematically.
All women identified as ethnic Indian and initiated breastfeeding in accordance with their cultural identity. Social support and cultural connectivity impacted positively on duration of breastfeeding. However, acculturation (adopting Australian cultural values and gender norms, including returning to paid employment) negatively influenced breastfeeding duration. In addition, the high reliance of recent immigrants on the advice of healthcare professionals who gave inconsistent advice negatively affected exclusive breastfeeding.
For ethnic Indian immigrant women breastfeeding practice is closely linked to acculturation and identity construction, both personal and communal. The lack of social and cultural networks for recent immigrants prevents their involvement in the cultural systems that traditionally support breastfeeding. With this in mind, healthcare professionals should deliver services in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner where women feel supported as well as empowered.
母乳喂养对健康的益处已在全球公共卫生和医学文献中得到充分证实。尽管如此，在产后头几个月，全球母乳喂养率仍稳步下降。尽管移民妇女的母乳喂养起始率更高，母乳喂养时间总体上更长，但由于各种社会经济和文化因素，包括文化适应过程，母乳喂养的实践受到了影响。本研究的目的是展示文化适应和文化认同如何影响澳大利亚墨尔本的印度移民的母乳喂养实践。
采用 12 个案例研究来收集女性生活经历的叙述。采用人种学实地研究方法收集数据，包括参与观察、半结构化访谈、案例研究和生活史。这为女性提供了有关生育经历的各个方面的深入信息，包括婴儿护理和喂养。参与者是从印度产科医生和妇科医生中随机招募的。招募了身份认同为印度裔且处于妊娠晚期第三阶段的女性。访谈是在 2004 年至 2005 年期间在墨尔本市区的女性家中进行的，为期 12 个月。对数据进行编码和主题分析。
所有女性都认同自己是印度裔，并根据自己的文化认同开始母乳喂养。社会支持和文化联系对母乳喂养时间有积极影响。然而，文化适应（采用澳大利亚文化价值观和性别规范，包括重返有薪工作）对母乳喂养时间产生负面影响。此外，新移民高度依赖提供不一致建议的医疗保健专业人员的建议，这对纯母乳喂养产生了负面影响。
对于印度裔移民妇女来说，母乳喂养实践与文化适应和身份认同密切相关，包括个人和群体认同。新移民缺乏社会和文化网络，无法参与传统上支持母乳喂养的文化体系。考虑到这一点，医疗保健专业人员应该以文化上适当和敏感的方式提供服务，让女性感到支持和赋权。
