Breastfeeding Uncovered
Across the world mothers are urged to breastfeed, but in Western society many find it difficult. Those who stop can feel unhappy and demoralised – but why should such a desired, encouraged and biologically normal behaviour seem so challenging in reality? Breastfeeding Uncovered reveals how complex social and cultural messages work against new mothers, damaging the normal physiology of breastfeeding and making it seem unmanageable.
Professor Amy Brown removes the focus from the mother and instead urges society to rethink its attitude towards breastfeeding and mothering, in order to support, encourage and protect mothers who want to breastfeed their babies.
This book is for anyone who has ever struggled with breastfeeding, supported new mothers or just wondered what all the fuss is about. Most of all it is a must-read for anyone who has ever thought a breastfeeding mother should cover up, or feed her baby elsewhere.
This new edition has been revised and updated with new case studies and links to research, plus a chapter on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected breastfeeding, so that it continues to be an up-to-date reflection of society’s attitudes to breastfeeding.
Professor Amy Brown is Director of 'LIFT' - the centre for Lactation, Infant Feeding and Translation at Swansea University, UK. With a background in psychology, she first became interested in the many barriers women face when breastfeeding after having her first baby. Three babies and a PhD later she has spent the last fifteen years exploring psychological, cultural and societal barriers to breastfeeding, with an emphasis on understanding how we can shift our perception of breastfeeding from an individual mothering issue, to a wider public health problem.