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  • The professionalising of breast feeding — Where are we a decade on?

    Author(s)
    Barclay, Lesley
    Longman, Jo
    Schmied, Virginia
    Sheehan, Athena
    Rolfe, Margaret
    Burns, Elaine
    Fenwick, Jennifer
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Fenwick, Jennifer
    Year published
    2012
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    This paper is an empirically informed opinion piece revisiting an argument published in Midwifery 10 years ago, that the increasing professionalisation ofbreastfeeding was not supporting women in Australia in sustaining breastfeeding. We present the last 10 years of primary research on the topic, explore major policy initiatives and the establishment and growth of lactation consultants in Australia to see if this has made a difference to sustained rates ofbreastfeeding. We present an analysis ofthe only consistently collected national statistics on breastfeeding and compare this with national and state level government data ...
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    This paper is an empirically informed opinion piece revisiting an argument published in Midwifery 10 years ago, that the increasing professionalisation ofbreastfeeding was not supporting women in Australia in sustaining breastfeeding. We present the last 10 years of primary research on the topic, explore major policy initiatives and the establishment and growth of lactation consultants in Australia to see if this has made a difference to sustained rates ofbreastfeeding. We present an analysis ofthe only consistently collected national statistics on breastfeeding and compare this with national and state level government data collections from the last decade. We have found that the considerable effort invested in trying to improve duration ofbreastfeeding amongst women in Australia appears to have failed to improve sustained breast-feeding rates. We argue that this situation might be related to losing sight ofthe embodied nature ofbreastfeeding and the relationships that must exist between the mother and baby, the knowledge and skills women quickly develop, and a loss of woman to woman support. We conclude that midwives have a major role in avoiding us reproducing similar, unintended, negative consequences to those resulting from increasing obstetrician managed normal birth. These include midwifery scrutiny and involvement in policy development and institutional practices and the design of services.
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    Journal Title
    Midwifery
    Volume
    28
    Issue
    3
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2011.12.011
    Subject
    Nursing
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/49405
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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