Séminaire scientifique de l'OSC 2019-2020

98, rue de l'Université 75007 Paris - salle Annick Percheron

vendredi 8 novembre 2019 de 12h à 13h30

The best for the child: Infant feeding decisions in Spain

Marta Dominguez Folgueras (Sciences Po - OSC)

The WHO describes breastfeeding as "the normal way of providing young infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth", and recommends breastfeeding exclusively on-demand for the baby’s first six months. These recommendations on infant feeding take place under a specific health paradigm, which places responsibility on the individuals -in this case the mothers- and stresses risk prevention.

In this work in progress, I analyse women’s experiences and decisions about infant feeding, and their discourses on following -or not- experts’ recommendations.

My research intends to provide a comprehensive and socially situated account of women’s experiences on infant feeding, taking into account different feeding strategies (from exclusive formula feeding to long-term breastfeeding), and discussing the role of mothers' families, experts, labour markets, and social policies.
The empirical analysis uses qualitative interviews with Spanish mothers who were in a heterosexual dual-earner couple and were interviewed before and after the birth of their first child.

 Register is mandatory - Inscription obligatoire