The Breast-feeding Conversation: A Philosophic Exploration of Support

Jane S. Grassley, Tommie P. Nelms

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Support from others such as family, friends, and healthcare providers is an important aspect of breast-feeding. Nurses can be active participants in improving the health of women and children by offering support to new mothers that facilitates effective breast-feeding and maternal breast-feeding confidence. Most early breast-feeding experiences in the United States take place in a hospital on a maternal-newborn care unit under the supervision of nurses. The quality of these early experiences can influence a woman's decision to breast-feed and how long she chooses to breast-feed.1,2 Greater understanding of how nurses can offer support is needed. This article presents a philosophic inquiry of breast-feeding support through the perspective of Gadamerian hermeneutics.3 It is argued that breast-feeding support is a hermeneutic encounter involving a text (a particular feeding at the breast), conversational partners (a mother, her newborn, and a nurse), and a dialogue that facilitates maternal breast-feeding confidence and effective breast-feeding through interpretation or understanding of the text.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalFaculty Articles
Volume31
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Gadamerian hermeneutics
  • breast-feeding
  • nurses
  • philosophy
  • support

EGS Disciplines

  • Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing
  • Nursing

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