ABSTRACT
Nursing care in the broadest sense, that is, caring for the patient and her family, means that nurses are in the unique position to being able to assist parents while addressing the issues presented by the baby. Infant mental health clinicians need to promote thinking not only about the baby’s reaction to changes in feeding but also her contribution to the feeding interaction. Working directly with the infant can make rapid shifts while the ongoing therapy for mother and baby can stabilise the relationship. Emotional conflicts may therefore be played out in the act of feeding. The decision to breast-feed may be made because it is promoted as best for the baby; it is a commitment gladly undertaken, a gesture of effort, time, and emotion, ensuring the baby’s wellbeing by giving the best possible nutrition. By talking to mothers about their experience of caring for their baby, nurses should be open to the emotional messages that mothers give.
