Good mothers and infant feeding practices amongst women in Northern Thailand

Breastfeeding is profoundly supported by both professionals and lay individuals. It is claimed that breastfeeding is beneficial for both a newborn infant and a mother. However, not all women and their families necessarily perceive it as such. Infant feeding practices occur within the social and cultural context of the society in which women live. Although women understand the value of breast milk, many women choose not to breastfeed their infants or may try to combine breastfeeding with bottle-feeding. Previous studies have identified the many reasons women cite as the choice of infant feeding, for example, work, insufficient milk, infant and maternal health, lack of social support and availability of infant formulae. In the several past decades, rapid social and economic transformations have changed women's lives in many parts of the world. Thai women have also been caught in this change. Women in Thailand have entered the labour force as a way to increase their family income since the 1960s when the country's economy has become increasingly dependent on the global market economy. Many women in the North work outside the home as well as perform housework. Labour force participation for women in the childbearing years has increased rapidly, particularly in the non-agricultural sector. These changes have profoundly affected women, motherhood and infant feeding practices. In this chapter, I discuss discursive practices regarding infant feeding amongst mothers in Northern Thai society. In particular, I focus on how mothers perceive and experience breastfeeding and how they in fact feed their infants.