Infant Feeding in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: Perceptions and Experiences of Maternal Grandmothers

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.

Mothers' experiences of breastfeeding a child with tongue‐tie

Tongue‐tie is characterized by an abnormally tight, short and thick lingual frenulum restricting the tongue's movement. This functional impairment can hinder a child's ability to maintain an effective latch and suckle and may lead to complex breastfeeding difficulties. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences of mothers who have breastfed a child with tongue‐tie, including their experiences with the health care system. A qualitative description study design was used. Two semistructured focus groups were conducted in February 2016 with a total of nine participants in the largest metropolitan area of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Content analysis using constant comparison revealed a common incongruity between participants' breastfeeding expectations and their actual experiences of feeding a child with tongue‐tie. Three major themes are discussed: mothers' well‐being, strained interpersonal relationships and frustration with the health care system.