Australian women's stories of their baby-feeding decisions in pregnancy

Objective: To describe the baby-feeding decisions of a group of Australian women prior to birth. Design, setting and participants: A qualitative study using face-to-face in depth interviews was undertaken with 29 women. All interviews were audio-tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: The women observed and sought information from a variety of sources as well as exploring their own understandings of themselves and their breasts. Based on this knowledge the women made their antenatal baby-feeding decisions. These baby-feeding decisions grouped into four thematic groups, 'assuming I'll breast feed'; 'definitely going to breast feed'; 'playing it by ear' and 'definitely going to bottle feed'. Each of these standpoints was associated with, and precipitated a number of behaviours and strategies. Implications: The findings of this research highlight the need for antenatal educators and midwives who provide care in pregnancy to acknowledge a range of experiences and expectations of women and to provide diverse educational opportunities to meet a range of needs. There is a need for further research to identify how midwives can encourage and assist women to explore and challenge their assumptions about breast feeding as they relate to other aspects of their lives.