Loading...
Lactation after infant death : An analysis of Australian healthcare agencies’ online health information
Sweeney, Lara Carroll, Katherine Noble-Carr, Debbie Waldby, Catherine
Sweeney, Lara
Carroll, Katherine
Noble-Carr, Debbie
Waldby, Catherine
Abstract
Lactation is a potent signifier of maternal love and care commonly associated with early motherhood and infant survival. It is common, however, for bereaved mothers who have recently undergone miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death to produce breastmilk. Drawing on a critical feminist lens that seeks to understand how maternal subjectivities and lactation norms are constructed through public and reproductive health information, this article tests whether lactation management options after stillbirth and infant death are comprehensively covered in Australia’s health organisations’ online information. A qualitative directed content analysis was conducted to critique the information provided on 21 Australian websites. Information extracted from websites was compared to a ‘best-practice’ Lactation After Infant Death (AID) Framework developed by the research team for the review. We found a notable absence of comprehensive lactation management information targeted directly to bereaved mothers. Moreover, the most common lactation option presented for women without a living infant was lactation suppression. This dearth of appropriate and comprehensive lactation information curtails maternal subjectivies and diverse lactation practices and further isolates women dealing with the painful contradictions of lactation after loss.
Keywords
Australia, breast milk, critical public health, health information, infant death, women’s health
Date
2020
Type
Journal article
Journal
Health Sociology Review
Book
Volume
29
Issue
1
Page Range
45-61
Article Number
ACU Department
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled