Monday, 02 October 2023
The wellbeing of new parents is potentially being threatened due to the emphasis placed on direct breastfeeding, a study shows.
Research by linguistics experts at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham, has found that women who use expressed breastmilk to feed their babies are unnecessarily marginalised in some online healthcare advice.
Parents or carers can feed an infant with breastmilk that has been expressed by the mother – either by hand or pump – and saved for a later feed.
It is a common method of feeding which enables mothers and parents to return to work while allowing their babies to receive breastmilk. The technique can also enable mothers and parents to provide breastmilk to a baby which does not latch onto the breast.
But the study – which is published in Discourse, Context & Media journal – among a number of findings shows that some literature implies that mothers and parents who use expressed breastmilk may miss out on the same close relationship with their babies as those mothers and parents who direct breastfeed.
The research examined various online infant feeding advice materials, with a particular focus on literature produced by La Leche League Great Britain (LLLGB) and the UK National Health Service (NHS).
Examples cited in the research include:
“Breastmilk is not just about getting food into a baby, it is part of the mothering relationship. It is the natural way to be close to a baby and helps with bonding.” (La Leche League)
“..breastfeeding can build a strong emotional bond between you and your baby.” (NHS)
“New mothers and parents can feel like failures if they do not exclusively direct breastfeed,” says Dr Laura Coffey-Glover, from the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University.
There is no evidence to suggest that the way someone feeds their baby can determine how close the relationship between them is. Statements such as this are reductive for mothers and parents and marginalise other caregivers too.
We need a recognition of expressed breastmilk as a form of breastfeeding, and a better understanding of the linguistic and cultural practices associated with it, including how infant feeding advice is negotiated by healthcare professionals and new parents.
Dr Coffey-Glover explains: “Our research clearly shows that some advice implies that using expressed breastmilk is ‘second best’ to the ‘ideal’ of direct breastfeeding. Instead it should be recognised that expressed breastmilk is a legitimate feeding option, with all the same nutritional benefits of direct breastfeeding. Parents who make the decision to use expressed breastmilk – either partially or exclusively - can be left feeling unsupported, and this should be changed.”
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Article by Nottingham Trent University
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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