'Our Children Cannot Survive on Breast Milk Alone'

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Periodical article

Title:	'Our Children Cannot Survive on Breast Milk Alone'
Author:	Teglhus, Lene
Year:	2006
Periodical:	Mila: a Journal of the Institute of African Studies
Volume:	7
Pages:	32-40
Language:	English
Notes:	biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:	Kenya East Africa
Subjects:	breastfeeding baby food Luo Health, Nutrition, and Medicine Women and Their Children Cultural Roles Medicine, Nutrition, Public Health Breastfeeding promotion Luo (Kenyan and Tanzanian people) Maternal health services
Abstract:	Based on three months of research among Luo mothers in a community in Nyang'oma in western Kenya, this paper aims at understanding the complex and varied stakes involved in women's decisions on child care actions, breastfeeding in particular. It appears that mothers do listen to advice given them by health care workers to exclusively breastfeed infants for the first six months and drink a lot of cow's milk themselves, but practise differently, because they think that breastfeeding alone does not satisfy their children. The paper shows that Luo mothers orientate more towards the local understanding than towards the information given them in a hospital far away because they need to be part of their community and want to be recognized as a good mother. The paper recommends giving information in a dialectic process incorporating public health information and local knowledge, providers of knowledge and users. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract]