Staffordshire University, UK.
J Health Psychol. 2024 Mar;29(4):275-288. doi: 10.1177/13591053231206159. Epub 2023 Oct 24.
Despite the well-documented benefits of breastfeeding, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. One of the areas that has been identified as impacting on a woman's experience of breastfeeding is body image. The aim of this study was to explore the body image experiences of breastfeeding mothers in the UK. Eighteen female participants were interviewed about their thoughts and feelings around their body image, specifically in relation to their breastfeeding. Three themes were developed following thematic analysis of the data: Breastfeeding as a functional tool, Body confidence and breastfeeding in public and Not feeling like the real me: a loss of identity. Implications of the findings are discussed, with suggestions for health promotion and ideas for encouraging a more positive body image in pregnant and breastfeeding women, with the hope of improving breastfeeding rates and experiences.
尽管母乳喂养的好处有案可查，但英国的母乳喂养率是世界上最低的国家之一。影响女性母乳喂养体验的一个领域是身体形象。本研究旨在探讨英国母乳喂养母亲的身体形象体验。对 18 名女性参与者进行了有关其身体形象的想法和感受的访谈，特别是与母乳喂养有关的方面。通过对数据的主题分析，得出了三个主题：母乳喂养作为一种功能性工具、身体自信和公共场合母乳喂养以及感觉不像真正的自己：失去身份。讨论了研究结果的影响，并提出了促进健康的建议和鼓励孕妇和哺乳期妇女形成更积极的身体形象的想法，以期提高母乳喂养率和体验。
