A critical ethnographic study of encounters between midwives and breast-feeding women in postnatal wards in England.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Dykes F
- Source
- Midwifery (MIDWIFERY), Sep2005; 21(3): 241-252. (12p)
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0266-6138
Objective: to explore the nature of interactions between midwives and breast-feeding women within postnatal wards. Design: a critical ethnographic study using participant observation and focused interviews. Setting: two maternity units in Northern England, UK. Participants: 61 postnatal women and 39 midwives. Findings: the interactions between midwives and women were encompassed by the global theme of 'taking time and touching base'. However, most encounters were characterised by an absence of 'taking time' or 'touching base'. This related to midwives' experiences of temporal pressure and inability to establish relationality with women due to their working patterns. The global theme was underpinned by five organising themes: 'communicating temporal pressure'; 'routines and procedures'; 'disconnected encounters'; 'managing breast feeding'; and 'rationing information'.