1 Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
2 Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University School of Medicine, Amarillo, TX, USA.
J Hum Lact. 2018 Nov;34(4):760-767. doi: 10.1177/0890334417751881. Epub 2018 Feb 13.
Women face societal and cultural barriers to breastfeeding. These challenges have been investigated in international studies and U.S. public opinion polls; however, mothers' experiences with breastfeeding in public in the United States remain unexplored. Research aim: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of obese and normal-weight women with breastfeeding in public in central New York.
Pregnant women ( N = 26) in central New York who intended to breastfeed and were either normal weight or obese were enrolled during their third trimester. A longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted to obtain information about women's experiences from birth through 3 to 6 months postpartum. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and verified for accuracy. Transcripts were analyzed iteratively using conventional content analysis.
The concept of "public" was situational rather than a set of physical places; women experienced challenges while breastfeeding around others in private locations that were indistinguishable from those they encountered in places typically considered public. Women experienced social and physical awkwardness including perceived lack of acceptability, fear of confrontation, exposure, and positioning difficulties. They used strategies to reduce awkwardness, for example, being "discreet" and minimizing breastfeeding around other people. Obese women experienced similar challenges but to a greater degree than normal-weight women.
"Breastfeeding around others" described mother's experiences more accurately than "breastfeeding in public" and was experienced as awkward both socially and physically, particularly by obese women. Strategies are needed to normalize breastfeeding in the United States and to prepare mothers for the challenges of breastfeeding around others.
女性在母乳喂养方面面临着社会和文化障碍。这些挑战已经在国际研究和美国民意调查中得到了调查；然而，美国母亲在公共场所母乳喂养的经验仍未得到探索。
本研究旨在描述纽约中部肥胖和正常体重妇女在公共场所母乳喂养的经验。
在纽约中部招募了 26 名打算母乳喂养且体重正常或肥胖的孕妇，她们在妊娠晚期参加了研究。进行了一项纵向、定性研究，以从分娩到产后 3 至 6 个月期间获取有关妇女经验的信息。采访进行了录音、转录并验证准确性。使用常规内容分析对转录本进行迭代分析。
“公共场所”的概念是情境性的，而不是一系列物理场所；女性在私人场所周围给其他人哺乳时会遇到挑战，这些挑战与她们在通常被认为是公共场所遇到的挑战无法区分。女性经历了社交和身体上的尴尬，包括被认为不可接受、害怕对抗、暴露和定位困难。她们使用策略来减少尴尬，例如保持“谨慎”并尽量减少在其他人周围哺乳。肥胖女性遇到了类似的挑战，但程度比正常体重女性更严重。
“在他人周围母乳喂养”比“在公共场所母乳喂养”更准确地描述了母亲的经验，并且在社交和身体上都感到尴尬，尤其是肥胖女性。需要采取策略使母乳喂养在美国正常化，并为母亲在他人周围母乳喂养的挑战做好准备。
