Abstract
Background
Chinese Australian mothers are more likely than the general Australian mothers to
introduce formula in the first month of age. A better understanding of the context
of formula introduction in the early weeks of birth can provide a deeper insight into
how Chinese Australian mothers can be supported to continue exclusive breastfeeding.
Methods
An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used to examine the lived
breastfeeding experiences of 11 first time Chinese mothers in Australia. The experiences
of those who breastfed exclusively were compared to those who introduced formula in
the first month after birth.
Findings
An overarching theme across all participants’ narratives was the meaning ascribed
to breastfeeding in their emerging motherhood identity. Breastfeeding could be a pragmatic
and a socially desirable method to nourish an infant but lacking personal identification
to the mother. These mothers were more vulnerable to the early introduction of formula,
especially when the support environment was lacking. Maternal identity conflict was
common and negatively impacted exclusive breastfeeding and mothers’ mental health.
In contrast, mothers who identified closely with breastfeeding showed greater persistence
and enjoyment in breastfeeding and were more likely to continue breastfeeding exclusively.
Health professionals were perceived to have an important influence in strengthening
maternal breastfeeding motivation and self-efficacy.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding support to Chinese Australian mothers needs to consider how breastfeeding
can be better integrated with their motherhood identity. Health professionals are
well-positioned to facilitate this process through a better understanding of mothers’
cultural and social contexts around breastfeeding.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Women and BirthAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect.Lancet. 2016; 387: 475-490
- 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey Indicator Results.(Available from:) AIHW, Canberra2011
- Migration, Australia, 2017–18, Catalogue Number 3412.0 Canberra: ABS.([updated 3/4/2019. Available from:)2019
- Breastfeeding by Chinese mothers in Australia and China: the healthy migrant effect.J. Hum. Lact. 2013; 29: 246-252
- Breastfeeding rates in immigrant and non-immigrant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Matern. Child Nutr. 2019; 15e12809
- Breastfeeding practices and associated predictors in Chinese mothers in Australia.Obes. Res. Clin. Pract. 2019; 13: 320
- Differences in infant feeding practices between Chinese-born and Australian-born mothers living in Australia: a cross-sectional study.BMC Pediatr. 2018; 18: 209
- Psychosocial correlates of exclusive breastfeeding: a systematic review.Midwifery. 2013; 29: 506-518
- Evaluation of factors contributing to the decline in exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum: the 2011-2016 National surveys in Taiwan.Birth. 2018; 45: 184-192
- Prevalence and predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese women.Matern. Child Nutr. 2018;
- Infant feeding beliefs, attitudes, knowledge and practices of chinese immigrant mothers: an integrative review of the literature.Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2017; 15
- The infant feeding practices of Chinese immigrant mothers in Australia: a qualitative exploration.Appetite. 2016; 105
- Infant demand and milk supply. Part 1: infant demand and milk production in lactating women.J. Hum. Lact. 1995; 11: 21-26
- Influence of cultural beliefs on infant feeding, postpartum and childcare practices among chinese-american mothers in New York City.J. Community Health. 2015; 40: 476-483
- Understanding the cultural context of Chinese mothers’ perceptions of breastfeeding and infant health in Canada.J. Clin. Nurs. 2010; 19: 1021-1029
- A qualitative study of the postpartum experience of Chinese women living in England.J. Reprod. Infant Psychol. 2012; 30: 105-119
- Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis : Theory, Method and Research.SAGE, 2009
- Research methodologies to investigate the experience of breastfeeding: a discussion paper.Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 2008; 45: 1823-1830
- Multiperspectival designs and processes in interpretative phenomenological analysis research.Qual. Res. Psychol. 2018; 16: 182-198
- The suinn-lew asian self-identity acculturation scale: concurrent and factorial validation.Educ. Psychol. Meas. 1992; 52: 1041-1046
- Is reflexivity the key to minimising problems of interpretation in phenomenological research?.Nurse Res. 2013; 20: 12-16
- Now I see it, now I don’t: researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative research.Qual. Res. 2015; 15: 219-234
- Breastfeeding as a moral imperative: an autoethnographic study.Fem. Psychol. 2009; 19: 71-87
- Being a’ good mother’: managing breastfeeding and merging identities.Soc. Sci. Med. 2007; 65: 2147-2159
- The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood.Yale University Press, 1996
- Conforming to intensive parenting ideals: willingness, reluctance and social context.Fam. Relatsh. Soc. 2017; 6: 107-124
- Health, morality, and infant feeding: british mothers’ experiences of formula milk use in the early weeks.Sociol. Health Illn. 2007; 29: 1075-1090
- Maternal bodies, breast-feeding, and consumer desire in Urban China.Med. Anthropol. Q. 2007; 21: 64-80
- Feeding mothers’ love: stories of breastfeeding and mothering in Urban China.NORA - Nordic J. Feminist Gender Res. 2018; 26: 313-330
- The hard work of feeding the baby: breastfeeding and intensive mothering in contemporary urban China.J. Chinese Sociol. 2017; 4
- Love’s Uncertainty: The Politics and Ethics of Child Rearing in Contemporary China.University of California Press, 2015
- Blurring the boundaries: breastfeeding and maternal subjectivity.Sociol. Health Illn. 2001; : 234
- Contradictions and conflict: a meta-ethnographic study of migrant women’s experiences of breastfeeding in a new country.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2012; 12 (163-)
- Labor Force Participation Rate, Female (% of Female Population Ages 15+) (modeled ILO Estimate) - Australia, China Septembe.([Available from:)2019
- Chinese women in transition: from the "Class and gender" perspective.Univers. J. Manag. 2018; 6: 478-490
- Migration as feminisation? Chinese women’s experiences of work and family in Australia.J. Ethn. Migr. Stud. 2006; 32: 497-514
- Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.Am. Psychol. 2000; 55: 68-78
- Development and measurement properties of the Chinese breastfeeding self-regulation questionnaire.Midwifery. 2017; 44: 24-34
- Breastfeeding motivation and self-determination theory.Soc. Sci. Med. 2015; 144: 19-27
- Stress, maternal role competence, and satisfaction among Chinese women in the perinatal period.Res. Nurs. Health. 2012; 35: 30-39
- Why Chinese mothers stop breastfeeding: mothers’ self-reported reasons for stopping during the first six months.J. Child Health Care. 2017; 21: 353-363
- Maternal perceptions of insufficient milk supply in breastfeeding.J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 2008; 40: 355-363
- The effect of a self-efficacy-based educational programme on maternal breast feeding self-efficacy, breast feeding duration and exclusive breast feeding rates: a longitudinal study.Midwifery. 2016; 36: 92-98
- Worker, woman, mother: redefining urban chinese women’s identity via motherhood and the global workplace.Asian J. Women. Stud. 2008; 14: 7-33
- Influence of peers on breastfeeding discontinuation among new parents: the Melbourne InFANT Program.Pediatrics. 2010; 126: e601-e607
- Peer support and exclusive breastfeeding duration in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2012; 7e45143
- Role changes in primiparous women during’ doing the month’ period.Midwifery. 2019; 74: 6-13
- Understanding the relationship between breastfeeding and postnatal depression: the role of pain and physical difficulties.J. Adv. Nurs. 2016; 72: 273-282
- Breastfeeding difficulties and supports and risk of postpartum depression in a cohort of womenwho have given birth in Calgary: a prospective cohort study.CMAJ Open. 2016; 4: E103-E109
Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 20, 2020
Accepted:
March 6,
2020
Received in revised form:
March 6,
2020
Received:
September 18,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
