Impact of Birth Trauma on Breast-feeding: A tale of Two Pathways - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The main contents of the paper discussed will be summed up in the conclusion given at the end. Purpose of the study The main purpose of the study was to investigate how traumatic childbirth impacted on the mothers who experienced this situation. In this case, traumatic child birth has been categorised into two segments namely: emotional and physical trauma. In most cases, mothers often undergo unprecedented traumatic experiences during child birth. Somehow, as the study sought to explore, the mothers who often experience this kind of trauma face problems with regards to breastfeeding their children. It is naturally believed that “nothing in the world is more satisfying and healthy for a newborn than its mother’s milk,” (Lothrop, 1995, p.1). However, due to difficult experiences often encountered by some mothers during childbirth, they often fail to give their babies this special gift. In the same vein, Thompson et al (ND, p. 2) suggest that the decrease in Australian breastfeeding rates and the increase in women experiencing breastfeeding complications can be attributed to nipple pain and trauma. The authors in this study conclude that this trend “disrupts the mother-baby union and contributes to the complexities experienced by contemporary breastfeeding women.” However, women who overcome their hurdles with breastfeeding are often strengthened in a way that helps to enrich the quality of their relationships with their children. As such, the study by Beck & Watson (2008) sought to explore the measures that can be implemented by clinicians in order to address post natal traumatic experiences in affected mothers for the betterment of their children. This is very important in as far as healthy development and growth of the child is concerned. Method chosen in the study The researchers chose the phenomenological research method to carry out their study concerned with investigating the essence of women’s breast-feeding experiences after a traumatic childbirth. In general research, this method is used for both interpretive and descriptive studies. In other words, the study will be particularly concerned about giving a vivid description of the problem being investigated in order to come up with reliable answers to the research question. To a larger extent, this research method is good especially to studies of this nature that are descriptive in nature. As noted, the participants were supposed to describe their experiences and this is a reliable way of obtaining information from the participants who will give first hand information. The other reason why this method is good is that it is free from bias since the participants will narrate or describe what they experienced. This helps the researcher to interpret the information such that it can be presented in a meaningful way that can help to provide answers to the research question. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More