ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the traditional cultural and social-economic influences within a nurturing perspective that are associated with early breast weaning in the recent mainstream literature. It also discusses biological nurturing (BN) as a newly developed approach to breastfeeding initiation optimising positional interactions to release innate breastfeeding behaviours. Breastfeeding is recognised as the biological norm, the most natural way to feed a baby, conferring both short- and long-term health benefits. Bottle-fed babies are fatter and the values of a consumer society equating 'biggest with best', associated with the purchasing power that often characterises industrialised societies, also biases maternal choice towards bottle feeding. BN is used as a collective term for a range of mother-baby breastfeeding positions whose interactions appear to release both maternal and infant innate behaviours, aiding breastfeeding initiation. Spontaneous breastfeeding can be compared to giving birth spontaneously; there will always be a small percentage of mothers who will encounter problems that require management.
