'I decided to go back to work so I can afford to buy her formula': a longitudinal mixed-methods study to explore how women in informal work balance the competing demands of infant feeding and working to provide for their family.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In South Africa almost 2 million women work informally. Informal work is characterised by poor job security, low earnings, and unsafe working conditions, with high rates of poverty and food insecurity. The peripartum period is a vulnerable time for many working women. This study explored how mothers navigate the tension between the need to work and the need to take care of a newborn baby, and how this affects their feeding plans and practices.

Methods

A mixed methods longitudinal cohort method was employed. Informal workers were recruited in the last trimester of pregnancy during an antenatal visit at two clinics in Durban, South Africa. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and quantitative questionnaires at three time points: pre-delivery, post-delivery

SUBMITTER: Luthuli S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7709310 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature