Infant Feeding and the Problems of Policy

摘要: How a mother feeds her baby is, formally, decision for to make. Yet, infant feeding is surrounded by conventions and precepts about appropriate maternal decisions. British women feed their babies in policy context where no ambivalence associated with attaching breastfeeding important benefits individual children, mothers, the wider society. Social scientific research indicates that presumptions of are some extent widely shared; assessments mothers’ attitudes show they mostly agree ‘breast best’. practice departs greatly from official advice. One interpretation this difference mothers more ambivalent than abstract. Research utilising social methods has largely not concerned itself exploring ambiguity ambivalence, as paradigm informing most studies public health perspective. A small number have, however, utilised science generate insights tensions between experience. This chapter summarises findings work indicating three major themes: promotion individualisation problems; ‘scientisation’ effacing choice; moralisation problem moral jeopardy. It concludes future possibilities socio-cultural feeding.