The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women in Montana who chose to attempt relactation. A phenomenological approach was utilized to understand the lived experiences of the 10 participants. In depth interviews were conducted and a 21 item, categorical and open-ended survey was administered seeking demographic and experiential data. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to organize and analyze the data. Most participants reported having good support from family, friends, lactation specialists, and/or physicians. Despite this support, the participants experienced breastfeeding difficulty. An overarching theme was having a difficult baby; whether it was colic, latching difficulties, or a lack of bond with the baby. Most of the participants were surprised they experienced such difficulty and stated their experience contradicted their previous expectations of breastfeeding. It was common for the participants to state it was assumed breastfeeding would be easy since it was a natural bodily function. Feelings of rejection, anger, stress, and failure were commonly expressed when participants reflected on their first attempt at breastfeeding. The participants who felt they relactated successfully stated the process was a defining moment in their lives, it gave them a second chance at breastfeeding, and many felt like they were able to overcome those negative feelings associated with breastfeeding difficulty. Future studies could examine the experience of breastfeeding a difficult baby, and what factors are present with women who continue or discontinue nursing difficult babies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MONTANA/oai:etd.lib.umt.edu:etd-06032014-135925 |
| Date | 20 June 2014 |
| Creators | Lommen, Amy Nicole |
| Contributors | Dr. Dusten Hollist, Dr. Annie Sondag, Dr. Blakely Brown |
| Publisher | The University of Montana |
| Source Sets | University of Montana Missoula |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-06032014-135925/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Montana or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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