Social Experiences of Breastfeeding

Sally Dowling is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, UWE, Bristol. She has published on breastfeeding in public, stigma, liminality and long-term breastfeeding. She is Associate Editor for International Breastfeeding Journal. David Pontin is Professor of Community Health, University of South Wales. His current research focuses on family resilience (www.frait.wales) and the implications for health visiting practice. Kate Boyer is a Senior Lecturer in feminist geography in the School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. She has published on breastfeeding in public, combining lactation with wage work, breastmilk donation and breastfeeding activism.

Introduction ~ Sally Dowling, David Pontin and Kate Boyer
The UK policy context: reconfiguration of the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative to reflect the importance of relationships and ensuring sustainability ~ Francesca Entwistle and Fiona Dykes
Part I: Breastfeeding and emotions
Managing the dynamics of shame in breastfeeding support ~ Dawn Leeming
Breastfeeding’s emotional intensity: pride, shame and status ~ Lisa Smyth
‘Betwixt and between’: women’s experiences of breastfeeding long term ~ Sally Dowling
Weaving breastfeeding practices into policy ~ Lucila Newell
Breastfeeding and emotions: reflections for policy and practice ~ Sally Johnson and Sally Tedstone
Part II: Cultures of breastfeeding
‘Missing milk’: an exploration of migrant mothers’ experiences of infant feeding in the UK ~ Louise Condon
Changing cultures of night-time breastfeeding and sleep in the US ~ Cecilia Tomori
Breastfeeding and modern parenting: when worlds collide ~ Amy Brown
Parenting ideologies, infant feeding and popular culture ~ Abigail Locke
Cultures of breastfeeding: reflections for policy and practice ~ Sally Tedstone and Geraldine Lucas
Part III: Breastfeeding and popular culture
Law of lactation breaks in the UK: employers’ perspectives ~ Melanie Fraser
Making breastfeeding social: the role of brelfies in breastfeeding’s burgeoning publics ~ Fiona Giles
Encountering public art: monumental breasts and the Skywhale ~ Alison Bartlett
Embodiment as a gauge of individual, public and planetary health ~ Maia Boswell-Penc
Breastfeeding and popular culture: reflections for policy and practice ~ Nicki Symes, Elizabeth Mayo, Emma Laird
Series context: reflection on experiences of attending seminar series ~ Sally Tedstone
Conclusion ~ Sally Dowling, David Pontin and Kate Boyer