Experiencing birth trauma: Individualism and isolation in postpartum

Approximately 25-35% of individuals report experiencing a traumatic birth in the United States. Birth trauma has commonly been focused on the experience of labor and delivery itself, with definitions frequently pointing to specific clinical interventions, interactions with providers, and individual expectations during labor and delivery. These definitions however remain too limited, assuming that birth trauma has a discrete temporality-emerging in childbirth-and largely underestimate the social and structural factors that drive trauma. Drawing from interviews conducted between November 2021 and April 2023 with thirty cisgender women who have given birth at least once in the United States, I reveal how the postpartum period is a particularly vulnerable time for trauma emergence, even when absent of difficult delivery experiences. I reveal how social and structural factors in the postpartum period trigger trauma that remains largely invisible, leaving individuals isolated. I situate these women's experiences within the sociological scholarship on trauma, (bio)medicalization, neoliberalism, and risk, to reveal a critical need to expand definitions of, and approaches to, birth trauma.

Understanding the pathway between work and health outcomes for women during the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods through the framing of maternal obesity

The link between work and health outcomes for preconception, pregnant, and postpartum (PPP) working women is complex. Further, innovation and enhanced understanding are required to address the work-related determinants of maternal obesity. However, workplace health promotion is not typically systems-based nor attuned to the specific needs and context of individual PPP women. We propose that to improve health outcomes for PPP women, we must understand the pathways between paid work and health for the individual woman by taking a systems-thinking approach. In this paper, we (a) outline the rationale for why the oversimplification or "dilution" of individual context may occur; (b) present a systems-informed pathway model (the "Context-Exposure-Response" Model) and overview of potential work-related impacts on health and wellbeing outcomes for PPP women using maternal obesity to provide context examples; (c) further investigate the role of motivational factors from a systems perspective; and (d) briefly examine the implications for policy, practice, and intervention design. It is anticipated that this research may act as a starting point to assist program developers, researchers, and policymakers to adopt a systems-focused perspective while contributing to the health improvement and obesity prevention of PPP women.

There's no formula for a good mother: shame and estranged maternal labour

This article theorises a group of mothers’ experiences of shame as a result of feeding infant formula to their children. Drawing on interviews with formula and breastfeeding mothers, the author brings together insights from scholarship on shame, feminist scholarship on reproductive labour and the Marxist notion of estranged labour to demonstrate that shame causes the formula-feeding mothers in this study, who initially wanted to breastfeed, to be estranged in their labour as mothers. The article addresses a gap in qualitative infant-feeding scholarship, which focuses primarily on breastfeeding. It provides an empathic account framing breastfeeding and formula-feeding mothers as potential allies against ‘controlling images’ of motherhood who face different facets of the same pressure to fulfil idealised roles. Both scholarly work on reproductive labour, and public programmes supporting new mothers, should account more seriously for the experiences of formula feeding mothers.

An 'incredible community' or 'disgusting' and 'weird'? Representations of breastmilk sharing in worldwide news media

Breastmilk sharing via the internet has become more popular in recent years, with a resultant increase in media attention. It is actively discouraged by public health bodies in at least three countries. We undertook a qualitative analysis of worldwide English language news media (online newspaper articles and transcripts of television and radio pieces) focusing on peer-to-peer breastmilk sharing during a 24-month period (2015-2016). One hundred eleven news articles were analysed semiotically for positive (n = 49) and negative (n = 90) depictions of breastmilk sharing and the actors involved. Three countries published the majority of the articles: United States (n = 42), United Kingdom (n = 24) and Australia (n = 20). Topics associated with using shared breastmilk included perceived insufficiency, having surgery or taking medication, or the prematurity of the baby. Reports of women who gave and received breastmilk were largely positive although sometimes confused with women who sell breastmilk, who were demonised. The breastmilk itself, however, was considered as potentially contaminated and possibly dangerous; calls for action (n = 33) focused on increasing regulation and safety. Peer-to-peer milk sharing and the commercial availability of human milk are activities that occur within social and cultural contexts, and, as such, the ways in which they are represented in the news media reflect the ways in which they are also represented more widely in society. Increased understanding of normal infant feeding practices is needed, alongside guidance on how to better support breastfeeding. News media outlets can facilitate this through reporting risk in line with evidence. Further research should be undertaken to understand the safety of breastmilk sharing and the experience of those who participate.

From Policy to Practice: Women's Experiences of Breastfeeding-Friendly Worksites, Part 1

Introduction

Breastfeeding-friendly worksites are associated with longer breastfeeding durations, yet currently there is a dearth of research exploring women's experiences of workplace-based wellness programs designed to support continued lactation.

Method

Using semi-structured interviews with a voluntary sample of participants from one rural New England town (N = 18), we examined women's experiences of returning to work at worksites with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Worksite Health ScoreCard (HSC) “breastfeeding-friendly” designation.

Results

Five key themes emerged from participants' narratives; three policy and workplace climate-related themes are described.

Discussion

Collectively, findings indicate areas where HSC lactation-support questions might be modified to more precisely identify the psychosocial, structural, and sociocultural needs of breastfeeding employees.

From Policy to Practice: Women's Experiences of Breastfeeding-Friendly Worksites, Part 2

Introduction

Maintaining lactation after returning to work is imperative for overall breastfeeding success, yet mothers who return to full-time employment outside the home are unlikely to meet their breastfeeding goals. Breastfeeding-friendly worksites are one potential solution.

Method

Using semi-structured interviews with employees in one rural New England town (N = 18), we aimed to better understand the barriers and supports to continued lactation at “breastfeeding-friendly” worksites.

Results

Five key themes emerged from participants' narratives; two built environment-focused themes are discussed here.

Discussion

Findings expose the disproportionate burden placed on women when care- and wage-work are combined, even in worksites at least theoretically committed to supporting lactation following a return to work.