Dr Renee Flacking

Closeness or separation and its importance for attuned feeding and relationships in NICUs in Sweden and England

Authors: Associate Professor Renée Flacking¹, Professor Fiona Dykes F^1,2

Abstract

Neonatal care with regard to feeding tends to be focused on the infants' intake of breast milk due to the beneficial nutritional and immunological aspects. However, the relational aspects of feeding are often underrated or disregarded during the transition from tube feeding to breastfeeding/bottle feeding (1). Some research has focussed on the question of how to optimise the transitional process in terms of milk intake and initiation of breastfeeding but very few studies have been undertaken to explore the process from the perspective of mother-infant relationship. The aim of this study was to explore, in-depth, the impact of place and space on feeding and relationality in mothers of preterm infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Sweden and England (2). An ethnographic approach (3) was utilised in two NICUs in Sweden and two comparable units in England, UK. Over an eleven month period, a total of 52 mothers, 19 fathers and 102 staff were observed and interviewed. A grounded theory approach was utilised to analyze data.

Findings showed that the construction and design of space and place was strongly influential on the developing parent-infant relationship and for experiencing a sense of connectedness and a shared awareness with the baby during feeding, i.e.  an attuned feeding. Furthermore, the way that NICUs are designed influences staff-mother interactions, which in turn influence the quality of the mother-infant relationship and feeding practicies.

¹ School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden

² Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN), School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, Lancashire, UK

Biography

Renée Flacking (opens in a new window) is an Associate Professor at the School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Sweden. She is currently the Head of Department for Sports and Medicine. Renée has a background as a Paediatric Nurse, having worked in a Neonatal Care Unit for more than 10 years. In 2007, she received her PhD in Medical Science, Uppsala University: Breastfeeding and Becoming a Mother – Influences and Experiences of Mothers of Preterm Infants. In 2009-2010 she undertook her PostDoc with Professor Fiona Dykes as her supervisor in MAINN, UCLan, conducting an ethnographic study in neonatal units in Sweden and England focusing on infant feeding and relationality. In 2010, the research network Separation and Closeness Experiences in the Neonatal Environment (SCENE) was established with Renée Flacking as the coordinator. This network comprises interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers from Europe and Australia. Renée's main research interest is in the area of breastfeeding and parenting in families with preterm infants focusing on emotional, relational and socio-cultural influences.

E-mail addresses:

Renée Flacking: rfl@du.se

Fiona Dykes: fcdykes@uclan.ac.uk