Question

What effect does our society’s image of the female breast have on a woman’s choice to breastfeed, her partner’s reaction to breastfeeding, and her ability to breastfeed outside her home?

Answer 1

Although having information about the health advantages of breastfeeding is important, knowing how to breastfeed is crucial. Mothers who do not know how to initiate and continue breastfeeding after a child is born may fear that it will always be painful or that they will be unable to produce enough milk to fully feed the baby. As a result, they may decide to formula feed the child. Expectant mothers who believe that breastfeeding is difficult or painful identify the fear of discomfort as a major negative influence on their desire to initiate breastfeeding, and mothers often expect that breastfeeding will be difficult during the first couple of months. Prenatal classes can be used to help inform women about the health advantages of breastfeeding, both for babies and mothers, and instructors can explain to women the process and techniques they can use to breastfeed.Furthermore, these classes can help prepare expectant mothers for what they should actually experience by providing them with accurate information on breastfeeding. However, pregnant women may not be aware of where classes on breastfeeding are offered, or even that they exist.

Her partner and the baby’s grandmothers also play critical support roles when it comes to breastfeeding, both with regard to assisting in decision making about how the baby is fed and in providing support for breastfeeding after the baby is born. Many women mistakenly think they cannot breastfeed if they plan to return to work after childbirth, and thus they may not talk with their employers about their desire to breastfeed or how breastfeeding might be supported in the workplace. Fathers can have a tremendous influence on breastfeeding. Some father-focused efforts are under way in the United States, including the USDA’s Fathers Supporting Breastfeeding program, which uses a video, posters, and brochures designed to target African American and other fathers to positively influence a woman’s decision to breastfeed. In addition, an innovative pilot study in a Texas WIC program used a father-to-father peer counseling approach to improve breastfeeding rates among participants’ wives and partners. The program not only demonstrated improved breastfeeding rates but also showed improvements in fathers’ knowledge about breastfeeding and their beliefs that they could provide support to their breastfeeding partners.