How do mothers make decisions about Infant Feeding?

Why We are Interested

In Liverpool 58% of mothers begin to breastfeed their babies at birth, this figure decreases to just over 20% after 4-6 weeks. Research has shown that many factors can influence whether a mother decides to breastfeed or formula feed her baby. These include: maternal age, education, ethnicity and marital status. We also know where a mother lives can affect whether she chooses to breastfeed or formula feed because of social and cultural factors. Thus, we need to understand more about social and cultural norms to provide effective information and support to a community. We are looking at the factors that influence infant feeding decisions for mums-to-be, and new mums, in Liverpool. We want to gain a greater understanding of the experiences new mums have of breastfeeding or bottle feeding their babies. We will be conducting focus groups and interviews with pregnant women and new mums from Liverpool and hope that the findings will make future feeding information and support more appropriate and effective.

If you are interested in taking part send an email by clicking here: Email: psyms@liverpool.ac.uk

How does a mother's mood affect how she feeds her baby?

Why are we interested?

In the UK less than 1% of mums' breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life and breastfeeding rates in Liverpool are even lower in comparison to this. It is now well known that having a baby can sometimes negatively affect a mother's mood and recent research has suggested that a mother's mental health can influence how she feeds her baby. These include: whether she breast or bottle feeds, how long she chooses to breastfeed for, how difficult she finds breastfeeding, how confident she is with feeding her baby and how her baby reacts at feeding time. We want to gain a better understanding of how a mother's mood can impact on factors like these and others, so that we can provide appropriate support and advice to expectant and new mothers. We will be conducting questionnaires, observations and interviews with pregnant women and new mums in Liverpool. We hope that our findings will help to develop effective advice on infant feeding as well as raising more awareness of how having a baby can affect our mental health.

If you are interested in taking part send an email by clicking here: Email: psyms@liverpool.ac.uk

Thank You for Your Interest