Bottle-feeding mothers\u27 experiences of coping in a pro-breastfeeding context : the case for a caring-options-responsive model of midwifery services

The original contribution of this qualitative study is that it sketches the front-line of the contested domain of infant feeding choices by exploring the under-researched experiences and perceptions of mothers who actively choose to bottle-feed their babies. Twelve bottle-feeding mothers in Western Australia participated in open-ended, in-depth interviews. The interview findings were further explored using participant observations of relevant hospital practices and critical, hermeneutic re-readings of midwifery\u27s professional and policy documents. The thesis argues that bottle-feeding is marginalised by the midwifery profession that currently defines its practices in accordance with policies such as the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. Bottle-feeding mothers described experiencing negative, antagonistic encounters with midwives moralising about infant feeding choices, pressuring them to choose breastfeeding, and obstructing rather than supporting their infant feeding choice. The bottle-feeding choice is often marginalised in the literature by the deployment of nebulous concepts about parental emotions, most notably so-called mother-child bonding . However, the mothers presented an identifiable bottle-centric perspective by which they considered bottle-feeding the best choice to support their priorities of overall life-style organisation, avoidance of discomfort and anxiety, and optimal family inter-relationship dynamics. Notably, the bottle-centric perspectives described breastfeeding as a threat to those goals and values. This study also identifies a previously unexplored phenomenon of the mothers\u27 concept of “father bonding with its symbolic meanings of bottle-feeding for the mother desiring the father\u27s emotional involvement with the baby. A speculative theory of an evolved socio-biologic concept of Father bonding/bondage is forwarded. Theoretical dimensions of current health belief models, especially that underlying the BFHI, cannot adequately recognise or service this client group\u27s needs. Bottle-feeding mothers intelligently engage in health decision-making processes when deciding their infant feeding options, considering a broad range of factors to optimise their family relationships. However, the mothers\u27 value systems are diametrically opposed to those of the midwifery profession. Midwifery\u27s approach to limiting information and practical educational demonstrations of bottle-feeding is a key aspect of marginalisation. The mothers strongly criticised bias in antenatal classes, poor support for their own training in bottle-feeding, experiences of learning by making mistakes, and some mothers afforded more credibility to advice from sources outside midwifery. These alarming findings appear to result from WHO/UNICEF anti-marketing principles mistakenly being generalised to educational functions in the BFHI policy. Variations in the mothers\u27 levels of satisfaction with their experiences in hospitals depended upon whether facilities suited or inconvenienced their needs, how efficiently hospital administrative procedures upheld their choice, and staff attitudes towards them. Major differences appeared related less to public or private sector differences and more to how well facilities were oriented towards either bottle~ feeding or breastfeeding. Exemplary support should be provided to both breast- and bottle-feeding client groups but will require a more sophisticated approach. Practical suggestions for developing and disseminating more timely and relevant information and support for bottle-feeding, and suggested research projects to expand the present study\u27s findings are forwarded. The thesis proposes a Caring Options- Responsive model of Midwifery services suited to fully informing and respectfully supporting clients in their choice

The effect of a prenatal teaching intervention on postpartum nipple pain and trauma

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate whether a prenatal teaching intervention on position and attachment of the baby on the breast had any effect on postpartum nipple pain and trauma, and breastfeeding rates at six weeks. Many mothers who Initiate breastfeeding, discontinue because they experience nipple pain and trauma. Correct position and attachment of the baby on the breast for feeding Is paramount in preventing these problems. Using Orem\u27s supportive-educative nursing system, i was hypothesised that the teaching Intervention would result in significantly less nipple pain and trauma, and would Increase breastfeeding rates at six weeks. The teaching in this intervention was given by a qualified midwife, who was also a lactation consultant, and who was not involved In any date collection. Seventy primiparae at a suburban hospital In Perth, Western Australia were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 36), who received the teaching Intervention as well as the usual prenatal education, or the control group (n=35) who received the usual prenatal education. During the first four postpartum days the LATCH Instrument was used to measure position and attachment of the baby on the breast; the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) measured nipple pain, and tho Nipple Trauma Severity Index (NTSI) was developed to measure nipple trauma. A questionnaire measured demographic data, breastfeeding progress and breastfeeding rates at six weeks postpartum. The researcher was observer blind to group allocation unlit all observations were completed on day four postpartum. A significance level of 0.05 was set for all statistical procedures. There was no difference between groups for other variables which have the potential to influence breastfeeding success. All hypotheses were supported. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant difference between groups, with the experimental group having less nipple pain and trauma. Breastfeeding rates were analysed by Chi-Square (y²) and showed 92% of mothers in the experimental group and 29% In the control group still breastfeeding at six weeks postpartum. The findings of this study will have Implications for health professionals educating mothers on breastfeeding. It is anticipated that such an intervention has the potential to increase breastfeeding rates and encourage the continuation of breastfeeding up to at least six weeks postpartum

The Processing of Accented Speech

This thesis examines the processing of accented speech in both infants and adults. Accents provide a natural and reasonably consistent form of inter-speaker variation in the speech signal, but it is not yet clear exactly what processes are used to normalise this form of variation, or when and how those processes develop. Two adult studies use ERP data to examine differences between the online processing of regional- and foreign-accented speech as compared to a baseline consisting of the listeners’ home accent. These studies demonstrate that the two types of accents recruit normalisation processes which are qualitatively, and not just quantitatively, different. This provided support for the hypothesis that foreign and regional accents require different mechanisms to normalise accent-based variation (Adank et al., 2009, Floccia et al., 2009), rather than for the hypothesis that different types of accents are normalised according to their perceptual distance from the listener’s own accent (Clarke & Garrett, 2004). They also provide support for the Abstract entry approach to lexical storage of variant forms, which suggests that variant forms undergo a process of prelexical normalisation, allowing access to a canonical lexical entry (Pallier et al., 2001), rather than for the Exemplar-based approach, which suggests that variant word-forms are individually represented in the lexicon (Johnson, 1997). Two further studies examined how infants segment words from continuous speech when presented with accented speakers. The first of these includes a set of behavioural experiments, which highlight some methodological issues in the existing literature and offer some potential explanations for conflicting evidence about the age at which infants are able to segment speech. The second uses ERP data to investigate segmentation within and across accents, and provides neurophysiological evidence that 11-month-olds are able to distinguish newly-segmented words at the auditory level even within a foreign accent, or across accents, but that they are more able to treat new word-forms as word-like in a familiar accent than a foreign accent

Relative influence of anchoring and centering biases in reconstructive memory

We report the results of an experiment probing the relative influence of centering and anchoring biases in recon-structive memory for line lengths. On each of 90 trials participants (N=120) viewed a target line, which they reproduced aftera delay by adjusting a response line. We manipulated the starting size of this response line in three conditions: one providedan anchoring bias opposite the centering bias (expand condition), one in the same direction (contract condition) and one thatprovided no anchoring bias (control). We eliminated the centering bias in the expand condition, increased it in the contract con-dition, and showed an attenuated centering bias in the control condition. We discuss the implications for these results in relationto cognitive models of stimulus reproduction that employ the method of serial reproduction. We suggest that experiments ofthis type should carefully control for the possible influence of anchoring biases in reconstructive memory

Prevalence and microbial ecology of Enterobacteriaceae on Texas produce and the survival of Salmonella on parsley as affected by processing and storage

To assess the risk factors involved in the contamination of fresh produce with human pathogenic organisms, a total of 1,257 samples were collected from cantaloupe, oranges, and parsley in the field and after processing, and the environment. Samples were collected twice in a season from two farms with operating packing sheds per commodity and analyzed for the presence of Salmonella. Sixteen, 6, and 3 isolates were obtained from irrigation water, packing shed equipment, and washed cantaloupe, respectively. Salmonella was not detected on oranges or parsley. Serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction assays were applied to Salmonella isolates to evaluate their genetic diversity and to determine if there are relationships between sources of contamination. Using PFGE, all Salmonella isolates obtained from irrigation water and equipment were determined to be different from cantaloupe isolates. Only one equipment isolate was related to isolates from irrigation water. Rep-PCR demonstrated some similarity between equipment and cantaloupe isolates, but this technique is less discriminatory. DNA fingerprinting did not conclusively determine relationships between sources of contamination. Isolates were also subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method. Five out of 25 of the isolates demonstrated intermediate sensitivity to streptomycin and one isolate was resistant to streptomycin. Green fluorescent protein was an effective marker system when monitoring the survival of Salmonella on parsley as affected by processing. Dip temperature had little effect on the attachment and survival of Salmonella on parsley. Regardless of the temperature or duration of dip, Salmonella were internalized. Immersion for longer times resulted in higher numbers of attached and internalized cells. Microscopic observations agreed with these results and showed Salmonella near the stomata and within cuticle cracks. Salmonella increased over 7 storage days at 25??C and decreased at 4??C. After 7 days at 4??C, no internalized Salmonella were detected. Examination of the native microflora of parsley showed that bacterial populations were similar for parsley collected in the field and packing shed. Higher bacterial populations and fungi were observed at retail with Pseudomonas the predominant organism. Parsley supports the growth of a diverse group of microorganisms

Top-down and bottom-up controls on sediment organic matter composition in an experimental seagrass ecosystem

We tested the singular and interactive effects of resource availability (light) and community composition (food chain length and herbivore species richness) on eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystem properties and functioning with an experimental mesocosm system. Food chain length was manipulated through the presence or absence of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) predators, whereas grazer species richness varied across three levels (zero, two, or four crustacean species). We found important and interacting effects of bottom-up and top-down forcings on sediment organic matter (SOM) composition. Light increased eelgrass and algal biomass and sediment organic carbon and nitrogen content. Increasing grazer diversity generally decreased algal biomass and ecosystem production but interacted with food chain length (i.e., presence of predatory crabs) and light. Predators generally increased algal biomass and ecosystem production through a trophic cascade, which was stronger at high grazer diversity and under ambient light. SOM composition, determined with fatty acid (FA) biomarkers, was sensitive to all manipulated variables. Increasing grazer species richness often decreased the contributions of FAs derived from plant and algal sources, whereas increasing light had the opposite effect. Food chain length was generally a less important determinant of SOM composition than light, although predators did increase FAs representative of heterotrophic bacteria. Overall, resource availability and epibenthic community composition strongly influenced organic matter cycling, SOM composition, and the bacterial community in seagrass-bed sediments

Biodiversity and food web structure influence short-term accumulation of sediment organic matter in an experimental seagrass system

We tested the effects of grazer diversity and food chain length on the quantity and quality of accumulated sediment organic matter (SOM) in experimental eelgrass (Zostera marina) mesocosms. By use of a factorial manipulation of crustacean grazer species richness and predator presence, we examined the effects of epibenthic consumers on SOM composition by using stable carbon isotopes (delta C-13) and lipid biomarker compounds. Grazer species composition strongly influenced nearly all measures of SOM quantity and quality. In particular, increased densities of the grazing amphipod, Gammarus mucronatus, decreased accumulation of benthic microalgae (chlorophyll a) and the relative abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA, a proxy for labile algal organic matter) and branched FA (a proxy for bacterial biomass). On average, increasing grazer species richness decreased SOM quantity (percentage of total organic carbon). Increasing food chain length by addition of predatory blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) resulted in a trophic cascade, increasing algal biomass and accumulation of algal organic matter in sediments, and enhancing the quality of SOM. Concomitantly, the relative proportion of bacterial branched FA increased. The identity and number of epibenthic consumers strongly influence accumulation and composition of SOM and the pathways by which it is processed, and these responses are not easily predictable from bulk measurements (delta C-13, percentage of total organic carbon) alone

Investigating musical performance: Commonality and diversity amongst classical and non-classical musicians

The research project 'Investigating Musical Performance: Comparative Studies in Advanced Musical Learning' was devised to investigate how classical, popular, jazz and Scottish traditional musicians deepen and develop their learning about performance in undergraduate, postgraduate and wider music community contexts. The aim of this paper is to explore the findings relating to attitudes towards the importance of musical skills, the relevance of musical activities and the nature of musical expertise. Questionnaire data obtained from the first phase of data collection (n = 244) produced evidence of differences and similarities between classical and non-classical musicians. While classical musicians emphasised the drive to excel musically and technically and prioritised notation-based skills and analytical skills, non-classical musicians attached greater importance to memorising and improvising. Regardless of genre, the musicians all considered practical activities such as practising, rehearsing, taking lessons and giving performances to be relevant. However, while classical musicians attached greater relevance to giving lessons and solo performances, their non-classical colleagues considered making music for fun and listening to music within their own genre to be more relevant. Some underlying processes that may have accounted for the differences in attitudes are explored, including musical influences, age of initial engagement with music and educational background. Points of similarity and differences are discussed, and possibilities for the two musical trajectories to inform and learn from each other are highlighted

From music student to professional: the process of transition

This article addresses the question of whether higher education music courses adequately prepare young musicians for the critical transition from music undergraduate to professional. Thematic analyses of interviews with 27 undergraduate and portfolio career musicians representing four musical genres were compared. The evidence suggests that the process of transition into professional life for musicians across the four focus genres may be facilitated when higher education experiences include mentoring that continues after graduation, the development of strong multi-genre peer networks, the provision of many and varied performance opportunities and support for developing self-discipline and autonomy in relation to the acquisition of musical expertise. Implications for higher education curricula are discussed. © 2008 Cambridge University Press

Perceptions and predictions of expertise in advanced musical learners

The aim of this article was to compare musicians' views on (a) the importance of musical skills and (b) the nature of expertise. Data were obtained from a specially devised web-based questionnaire completed by advanced musicians representing four musical genres (classical, popular, jazz, Scottish traditional) and varying degrees of professional musical experience (tertiary education music students, portfolio career musicians). Comparisons were made across musical genres (classical vs. other-than-classical), gender, age and professional status (student musicians vs. portfolio career musicians). Musicians' 'ideal' versus 'perceived' levels of musical skills and expertise were also compared and factors predicting musicians' self-reported level of skills and expertise were investigated. Findings suggest that the perception of expertise in advanced musical learners is a complex phenomenon that relates to each of four key variables (gender, age, musical genre and professional experience). The study also shows that discrepancies between advanced musicians' ideal and self-assessed levels of musical skills and expertise are closely related to gender and professional experience. Finally, characteristics that predict and account for variability in musicians' views and attitudes regarding musical expertise and self-assessments of personal expertise levels are highlighted. Results are viewed in the context of music learning and implications for music education are discussed