This thesis investigates the experiences of ten Australian mothers and seven fathers breastfeeding very low birth weight preterm infants, from the baby's birth to 12 months of age. A series of longitudinal in-depth interviews with the parents were used to explore the phenomenon of breastfeeding a preterm infant. Forty-five interviews were undertaken using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach based on the work of Patricia Benner. / The study explores the parents' experiences and understandings of breastfeeding in the preterm context and describes how they managed this challenging situation. Most apparent in this study are the numerous contradictions, tensions and disparities between what the participant parents expected their breastfeeding experiences to be like and what became their reality. Analysis of the data demonstrates the ways in which breastfeeding and feeding the preterm infant were objectified to the detriment of their overall satisfaction. Expressed breast milk became the primary focus of attention, the 'liquid gold' that parents strove for, while the mothers, in effect, became 'milking machines' intent solely on the production of breast milk. This objectification of the breastfeeding experience resulted in parents losing control over many aspects of normal parenting and surrendering their ability to make decisions regarding their infant's care, particularly their nutrition and feeding management following discharge from hospital. / The conflicts and tensions within the preterm-breastfeeding experience were distressing for the participant parents. They considered breastfeeding to be integral to the performance of motherhood and good parenting. Mothers, in particular, in this study tried hard to cope with these contradictions and their implications. The parents' focus on doing best for baby was paramount and they were prepared to do whatever they or others deemed necessary. Although espousing the benefits of breastfeeding for their baby, the participants' experiences showed that hospital staff practices often fostered objectified breast milk feeding, which parents found counterproductive to exclusive at-breast feeding. / This research extends existing knowledge of breastfeeding by explicating in detail parental experience of breastfeeding very low birth weight preterm infants. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/267541 |
| Creators | Sweet, Linda. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds