- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Across the world mothers are urged to breastfeed, but in Western society many find it difficult. Those who stop can feel unhappy and demoralised – but why should such a desired, encouraged and biologically normal behaviour seem so challenging in reality? BreastfeedingUncovered reveals how complex social and cultural messages work against new mothers, damaging the normal physiology ofbreastfeedingand making it seem unmanageable.
Professor Amy Brown removes the focus from the mother and instead urges society to rethink its attitude towardsbreastfeedingand mothering, in order to support, encourage and protect mothers who want to breastfeed their babies.
This book is for anyone who has ever struggled withbreastfeeding, supported new mothers or just wondered what all the fuss is about. Most of all it is a must-read for anyone who has ever thought abreastfeedingmother should cover up, or feed her baby elsewhere.
This new edition has been revised and updated with new case studies and links to research, plus a chapter on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected breastfeeding, so that it continues to be an up-to-date reflection of society's attitudes tobreastfeeding.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Where to get breastfeeding support
- About the Author
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Foreword by Chris van Tulleken
- Building a society that normalises and nurtures breastfeeding by Sue Ashmore
- Introduction
- 1. The issue
- 2. Why does breastfeeding matter anyway? The physical, emotional, environmental and economic impact of infant feeding
- 3. Let’s look at the biology – how many women can we expect not to be able to breastfeed?
- 4. Have things always been this way? A brief history of infant feeding
- 5. Our birth experiences can interfere with getting breastfeeding off to a good start
- 6. Our early postnatal environments are not always conducive to supporting breastfeeding
- 7. A lack of investment in skilled support means that too many women experience pain and difficulty
- 8. A lack of understanding of normal breastfed baby behaviour leads to people thinking something is wrong
- 9. Our obsession with big babies and rapid weight gain leads to unnecessary supplementation
- 10. Our obsession with routines and good babies causes unnecessary problems
- 11. Our lack of value for new mothers makes everything feel more difficult
- 12. Pressure on women to doubt their body or get their ‘pre-baby body’ back
- 13. Family and friends: when it’s not you, it’s them
- 14. We still have ridiculous attitudes to breastfeeding in public spaces
- 15. A lack of protection for breastfeeding women on return to work
- 16. Industry influences are allowed to spread inaccurate messaging
- 17. How has the covid-19 pandemic affected all of this?
- 18. How can we move forward and protect mothers and babies?
- 19. How do we handle supporting all families?
- 20. So, what can we actually do about this? What can I do?
- Appendix 1: Joint Statement on Protecting Breastfeeding (2019)
- Appendix 2: Open letter on the current crisis in breastfeeding in the UK – UK mothers are being let down (2016)
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Index