Listening to Mothers

by Barbara L. Behrmann, Ph.D.

(c) 2006

I’m a strong believer in the importance of sharing our stories, especially when it comes to giving birth, taking care of babies, and mothering in general.  So I was excited to get my hands on the recently released second national survey of women’s childbearing experiences in the U.S – a survey that also looks at breastfeeding (Listening to Mothers II:  Report of the Second National U.S. Survey of Women’s Childbearing Experiences.)  Granted, a survey is different than hearing in-depth stories, but this is a survey all about “listening to women.”  And it includes lots of vignettes and direct quotes from moms.  I haven’t finished reading through it yet, but I thought I’d share a couple of thoughts based on what I’ve read thus far. 

Most of the time when people are asked to fill out any sort of questionnaire, we do so reluctantly.  At least this is my impression.   We are all so busy and answering another survey or poll is hardly high on our priority list.  One of the things that struck me about this survey is how engaged women were reported to be.  They took much more time than average in answering questions and were willing to provide detailed responses to open-ended questions. 

I remember when I was interviewing women for The Breastfeeding Café.  Women would spend up to several hours sharing the most intimate details of their life with me and then would thank me in the end!

I was made aware then, and am reminded yet again, of how much women want their voices to be heard, of how much our culture tends to silence us in the telling of our birth and breastfeeding stories. 

Some of the breastfeeding-related findings from the survey may trigger some thoughts about your own experiences.  For example:   

            At the end of their pregnancy, 61% of mothers wanted to breastfeed exclusively but only 51% were exclusively nursing one week after the birth.

            The babies of 38% of mothers who intended to breastfeed exclusively were given formula or water.

            The babies of 44% of mothers who intended to breastfeed exclusively were given a pacifier.

            66% of mothers who intended to breastfeed exclusively were offered formula samples. 

            Over 33% of mothers perceived that the staff was neutral about feeding method and 3% reported that the staff encouraged formula-feeding.

Do any of these findings resonate for you?  What was it like for you during your first few days post-partum?   Take this as an open invitation to send in your stories!  Click here to write to us.  Also, visit Childbirth Connection to read more about the survey, including this link to their growing collection of quotes from moms.

Citation:  Declercq ER, Sakala C. Corry MP, Applebaum S.  Executive Summary.  In:  Listening to Mothers II:  Report of the Second National U.S. Survey of Women’s Childbearing Experiences.  New York:  Childbirth Connection.  October 2006.  pp 1-9.

Note:  A slightly revised version of this article also appears on www.babygooroo.com.

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Barbara L. Behrmann, Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, and author of The Breastfeeding Café: Mothers Share the Joys, Secrets & Challenges of Nursing, University of Michigan Press, 2005. She is a frequent speaker around the country and is available for talks, readings, and conducting birthing and breastfeeding writing circles. The mother of two formerly breastfed children, Barbara lives in upstate New York.