Aim: This paper is a report of a grounded theory study of woman's infant feeding experiences and decisions in the first 6 weeks after birth.
Background: Breastfeeding is considered the optimum method of infant feeding. Studies have identified numerous factors associated with infant feeding decisions. What remains unexplored are the mechanisms by which socio-demographic, biomedical and psychosocial factors influence infant feeding decisions. Research highlights the need for further investigation of the experiences and decision-making processes of both breastfeeding and formula-feeding women.
Method: A constructionist grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis was used. Data for this study were collected and analysed between 2003 and 2004. Further data, collected in a previous study in 2000, were theoretically sampled and analysed in 2005. In-depth interviews with 37 women from various socio-demographic areas in New South Wales, Australia provided data.
Findings: The core category was 'deconstructing best'. 'Deconstructing best' was the infant feeding decision-making process in the first 6 weeks after birth. The process of 'deconstructing best' involved seven phases: planning, expecting, realizing, questioning, getting on with it, defending and qualifying. Four main categories -'it's really best to breastfeed', 'it's the unknown', 'it's not the only thing going on', and 'everybody's best is different'- comprised the context within which deconstructing best occurred.
Conclusion: Woman's infant feeding decisions cannot be viewed in isolation from other post-natal experiences and needs. Infant feeding decisions will only be understood and appropriately supported when they are seen in relation to the circumstances of a woman's life, her immediate sociocultural context and individual experience.