WAAT: “Extending the Construct of Authoritative Knowledge to Understand Preparation for Postpartum Experiences of Infant Feeding and Mental Health” by Dr. Butler
Weekday Afternoon Anthropology Talks (WAAT)
February 10, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
BSB 2105
Calendar
Download iCal FileWe are continuing our Weekday Afternoon Anthropology Talks (WAATs) next Monday Feb 10th at 12pm-1pm with Dr. Maggie Butler from the School of Public Health in UIC:
Title: Extending the Construct of Authoritative Knowledge to Understand Preparation for Postpartum Experiences of Infant Feeding and Mental Health
Where: Behavioral Sciences Building (BSB) Room 2105
When: Feb 10th at 12pm-1pm
About: Historically and contemporarily, birthing people have acquired information about parturition and child rearing from mothers, grandmothers, female kin, and friends. In the age of the internet, social networks have vastly expanded, as has access to seemingly endless varieties of information and resources for birthing people to prepare for pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. The anthropology of reproduction as a field has extensively researched pregnancy and childbirth ethnographically in cross-cultural contexts, including the United States. One such construct used is authoritative knowledge, which refers to the knowledge system(s) that dominate in a particular context, and is/are used to guide decisions and actions. This construct has rarely been applied to the postpartum period, and we lack understanding of the sources of information birthing people use to learn about and prepare for postpartum experiences. Here, I present findings from a qualitative study where I employ the construct of authoritative knowledge to understand how Chicagoland birthing parents prepared for infant feeding and mental health. These broad experiences are associated with the most complications of childbirth – suboptimal breastfeeding and postpartum depression. Often co-occurring, both can cause detrimental health outcomes for both parent and infant which contribute to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, and have implications for life course health outcomes.
Date posted
Feb 4, 2025
Date updated
Feb 4, 2025