What Nurses Need to Know Breastfeeding Mothers and Violence

Violence against women and girls is a widespread problem, with negative ramifications for both physical and mental health. Many women in abusive relationships find the violence escalates when they are pregnant. For the survivor of childhood violence, memories of the abuse may come to the forefront during the childbearing period due to the intense physical and emotional nature of pregnancy and birth. Nurses will often be the care providers encouraging new mothers to breastfeed, and may face unique challenges with patients who are survivors of abuse. This article addresses issues surrounding violence and breastfeeding, and offers some strategies nurses can use to bolster the affected new mother’s ability to take care of herself and her baby.

[1]  Cheryl Tatano Beck.  An Adult Survivor of Child Sexual Abuse and Her Breastfeeding Experience: A Case Study , 2009, MCN. The American journal of maternal child nursing.

[2]  F. Rivara,et al.  Health outcomes in women with physical and sexual intimate partner violence exposure. , 2007, Journal of women's health.

[3]  K. Kendall-Tackett.  Violence Against Women and the Perinatal Period , 2007, Trauma, violence & abuse.

[4]  Susan Kathleen Klingelhafer.  Sexual Abuse and Breastfeeding , 2007, Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association.

[5]  K. Bowman,et al.  WHEN BREASTFEEDING MAY BE A THREAT TO ADOLESCENT MOTHERS , 2007, Issues in mental health nursing.

[6]  J. Silverman,et al.  Intimate partner violence around the time of pregnancy: association with breastfeeding behavior. , 2006, Journal of women's health.

[7]  D. Cukor,et al.  History of Child Abuse and Severity of Adult Depression: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Schema , 2006, Journal of child sexual abuse.

[8]  Cate Curtis.  Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Suicidal Behaviour: Exacerbating Factors and Implications for Recovery , 2006, Journal of child sexual abuse.

[9]  E. Echeburúa,et al.  The impact of physical, psychological, and sexual intimate male partner violence on women's mental health: depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder, state anxiety, and suicide. , 2006, Journal of women's health.

[10]  A. Coker,et al.  Intimate partner violence and disabilities among women attending family practice clinics. , 2005, Journal of women's health.

[11]  M. Heaman.  Relationships between physical abuse during pregnancy and risk factors for preterm birth among women in Manitoba. , 2005, Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN.

[12]  G. Xing,et al.  Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes of Assaults During Pregnancy , 2005, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[13]  D. Spatz.  Ten Steps for Promoting and Protecting Breastfeeding for Vulnerable Infants , 2004, The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing.

[14]  M. Gerrity,et al.  Violence, mental health, and physical symptoms in an academic internal medicine practice , 2004, Journal of general internal medicine.

[15]  P. Simkin.  When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women , 2004 .

[16]  B. Munro,et al.  Health Behaviors as Mediators for the Effect of Partner Abuse on Infant Birth Weight , 2004, Nursing research.

[17]  D. Hobbins,et al.  Survivors of childhood sexual abuse: implications for perinatal nursing care. , 2004, Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN.

[18]  J. Briere,et al.  Prevalence and psychological sequelae of self-reported childhood physical and sexual abuse in a general population sample of men and women. , 2003, Child abuse & neglect.

[19]  A. Henderson,et al.  Intimate partner violence and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a population-based study. , 2003, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[20]  N. Halfon,et al.  The Association Between Reported Childhood Sexual Abuse and Breastfeeding Initiation , 2002, Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association.

[21]  Jacquelyn C. Campbell,et al.  Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health , 2002, Obstetrics and Gynecology.

[22]  D. Bohn.  Lifetime and Current Abuse, Pregnancy Risks, and Outcomes Among Native American Women , 2002, Journal of health care for the poor and underserved.

[23]  L. Bullock,et al.  Battering and breastfeeding in a WIC population. , 2001, The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieres.