A grounded theory study to elicit the reasons why women who initiate breastfeeding do not access peer support provision. Situating self in a dichotomised discourse of infant feeding.
type: CreativeWork
description: Breastfeeding is recognised globally as an important health issue. The positive health outcomes for both mothers and babies associated with breastfeeding mean governments are keen to increase rates. One of the ways this has been attempted in the UK is via the establishment of peer support programmes. Uptake of this form of support is problematic however, and the aim of this study has been to construct, with participants, an integrated theory of non-access. This study has explored the reasons why some women who initiate breastfeeding do not access local peer support provision. A constructionist grounded theory method was adopted and women, health professionals and peer supporters were interviewed in Cornwall, South West England. Thirteen women, fourteen peer supporters and six health professionals participated in twenty four semi-structured interviews. Open coding,constant comparison and focussed coding were used to analyse data and enable the construction of one core category and five main themes to explicate non access of peer support. Dichotomies in the language pertaining to infant feeding were intertwined throughout the themes, requiring women to place themselves and their experiences within a divided landscape. A background of pressure, moral judgement and a dearth of breastfeeding knowledge form the core category, and the five main themes are situated within this milieu. The first main theme, ‘place and space of support’, explains how during the early postnatal period the group environment was not considered an appropriate place for support, and some women had stopped breastfeeding before they felt able to access a group environment. The second main theme, ‘one way or no way’, details the techno-medical rules-based model of breastfeeding adopted by many health professionals. Here breastfeeding is seen as a bodily function divorced from all social, familial and cultural concerns. Women anticipated that peer supporters would adopt the same model and this impacte…
abstract: Breastfeeding is recognised globally as an important health issue. The positive health outcomes for both mothers and babies associated with breastfeeding mean governments are keen to increase rates. One of the ways this has been attempted in the UK is via the establishment of peer support programmes. Uptake of this form of support is problematic however, and the aim of this study has been to construct, with participants, an integrated theory of non-access. This study has explored the reasons why some women who initiate breastfeeding do not access local peer support provision. A constructionist grounded theory method was adopted and women, health professionals and peer supporters were interviewed in Cornwall, South West England. Thirteen women, fourteen peer supporters and six health professionals participated in twenty four semi-structured interviews. Open coding,constant comparison and focussed coding were used to analyse data and enable the construction of one core category and five main themes to explicate non access of peer support. Dichotomies in the language pertaining to infant feeding were intertwined throughout the themes, requiring women to place themselves and their experiences within a divided landscape. A background of pressure, moral judgement and a dearth of breastfeeding knowledge form the core category, and the five main themes are situated within this milieu. The first main theme, ‘place and space of support’, explains how during the early postnatal period the group environment was not considered an appropriate place for support, and some women had stopped breastfeeding before they felt able to access a group environment. The second main theme, ‘one way or no way’, details the techno-medical rules-based model of breastfeeding adopted by many health professionals. Here breastfeeding is seen as a bodily function divorced from all social, familial and cultural concerns. Women anticipated that peer supporters would adopt the same model and this impacte…
author: Hunt, Louise
language: en
date published: 2014-12
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:35:49Z
provider: University of Central Lancashire
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Central Lancashire