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. 2016;25(1):56-68.
doi: 10.1891/1058-1243.25.1.56.

Becoming a Mother and Learning to Breastfeed: An Emergent Autoethnography

Brooke Haugh

Becoming a Mother and Learning to Breastfeed: An Emergent Autoethnography

Brooke Haugh. J Perinat Educ. 2016.

Abstract

A woman's journey into motherhood and first encounters with breastfeeding are profound learning experiences. During the perinatal period of my first pregnancy, I kept a journal documenting my thoughts and feelings. What emerged from my journals is an autoethnography, revealing my new understandings of myself as a woman within a culture of mothers and a deeper understanding of myself as a learner. Anecdotal stories shared with me by other women became the impetus for my reflection during my journey into motherhood. Although learning to breastfeed for the first time, I became aware of the significance of lived experience on my learning. As I interweave my personal and scholarly voices, I present to you my journals layered with my research.

Keywords: autoethnography; breastfeeding; cesarean; narrative; pregnancy.

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