title: The milk of human kindness: environmental and human interactions in a WIC clinic that influence infant-feeding decisions of Black women.
abstract: In this ethnographic study, the author explores the context of Black women's infant-feeding decisions in an urban WIC clinic. Data were obtained from 319 people (130 Black women enrolled in WIC [BWEW], 189 relatives and friends) with close follow-up of 11 primiparous key informants during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. The major findings include (a) the WIC clinic environment set a positive tone for service, (b) WIC employees treated the women with caring and respect, (c) BWEW believed that WIC was a source of support in time of need, and (d) WIC influenced infant-feeding decisions. The availability of free formula facilitated bottle feeding, but personalized breast-feeding promotion with trusting relationships with WIC providers encouraged breast-feeding decisions for almost half of the key informants.
authors.affiliation: International Center of Research for Women, Children, and Families, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cricco-Lizza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D003657:Decision Making; D005248:Feeding Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D009518:New York; D011247:Pregnancy; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D014505:Urban Population