ABSTRACT
The introduction lays the foundation of the ethnography, which combines a focus on breastfeeding and an examination of postpartum care by independent midwives after a home birth, as well as the parenting approach of home birth parents. After some insights on the Swiss perinatal landscape, including the gender system and legal frame, the author describes and contextualises the breastfeeding project and associated embodied parenting style of the home birth parents who participated in the research, with regard to public health policies and local cultural, political, and economic contexts. The author introduces the notion of “negotiated breastfeeding”, which is reflected in discussions and “negotiations” between the main protagonists of the breastfeeding journey. Finally, the author briefly details gender issues as part of holistic care and the anti-essentialist and critical gender approach favoured in this book. The introduction closes with an overview of the book.
