The Influence of the “They”: An Interpretation of Breastfeeding Culture in New Zealand

The society in which a woman breastfeeds has a significant effect on how she will interpret her breastfeeding experiences; however, only limited research has been conducted on the phenomenon of breastfeeding, despite the recognition that the majority of women do not breastfeed beyond 6 months. In this article I present the findings of a research study that explored the experience of breastfeeding for 19 women in New Zealand using an interpretive lifeworld methodology. The participants engaged in interviews about their experience of breastfeeding. The interviews were analyzed alongside Heidegger’s exposition of the “they ” as a dialogical partner. The findings are presented in themes that articulate how women experience societal culture when breastfeeding, and how this culture influences their interpretations of their breastfeeding experiences. This research contributes to expanding understandings about why women might wean their infants prematurely, and provides insights into how health care professionals might support women to prolong breastfeeding. Keywords breastfeeding; culture; hermeneutics; lived experience; social sciences; women’s health The health benefits of breastfeeding for women, infants, and young children have been widely recognized, with researchers demonstrating that breastfeeding offers infants and young children the optimal source of nutrition while at the same time contributing to the mother’s healt