Breastfeeding as a co-constructed occasion: A focus on closings

Breastfeeding is one of the first interactions that humans have, yet, like much infant interaction, it has barely been studied. Initial research shows that breastfeeding interactions are rich in affect, emotion and tactile corporeal connections (Bateman et al. 2024; de León 2021). Our presentation extends understandings of breastfeeding beyond the typical medical lens focused on nutrition, to the lived and practical ‘how’ of breastfeeding in interaction. With a specific focus on how breastfeeding ‘occasions’ are collaboratively closed by caregiver and infant, we draw parallels with conversation closings, where both parties must work towards the ending of the interaction in sequential ways (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973). When to stop feeding is a critical judgment for the caregiver – highlighted as a constant concern in online forums (Lebron et al. 2020).
Drawing from a corpus of 9 hours of natural video-recorded breastfeeding interactions (across 3 families) and autoethnographic observations, we focus on the kinds of sense making involved in closings of feeding sessions. The participants are 3 breastfeeding parents, 2 sets of twins, 1 singleton, and the non-feeding parents. The age of the children ranged from newborn to1.5 years.
The following transcription offers an example of a possible ‘pre-closing’ (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973). This is marked by the infant’s unlatching from the mother’s breast (line 1) and the mother’s affectual response, as she gazes at the infant with a smile and asks the infant, ‘what’ (line 5). The subsequent turns show the infant touching the mother’s face (line 7) and mother’s playful response (line 9), before enquiring whether the infant has had enough or wants more. This signals the mother’s support for further feeding, passing an opportunity to continue with the breastfeeding back to the infant, rather than unilaterally closing of the occasion.



In line 13, the infant returns to the breast but again disengages (line 17) after only a brief latch, this time more ostentatiously. The mother responds again with positive affect through smiles and head tilt. After latching to the breast again (line 28) the infant moves away with what is observable as an upgraded gesture (line 31), as they turn their whole body. Sequentially, we see progression of the closure through the infant’s body movements, which the mother acknowledges (line 31-34) by also upgrading closure; she closes her bra, making the breast no longer accessible to the infant, with an affirming ‘enough’.
Our concluding discussion will consider:
1) analysing ‘ending sequences (i.e., terminal exchanges)’ (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973, p. 297) as made sequentially relevant through turns of talk and gesture;
2) exploring the role of touch in breastfeeding interactions, as touch is a crucial means for communicating affect, especially in close relationships such as caregiver-child (Bowlby, 1969; Goodwin and Cekaite, 2018; Hertenstein, 2002;
3) Breastfeeding occasions as an early site for socialisation into interactional practices (closing activities, accountability), early language development (Ochs & Schieffelin 2011), and social norms around touch and eating, such as when playing is acceptable or when touch is pleasant or unpleasant for co-participants.
We end the presentation by calling for more research into breastfeeding interactions, given their potential role in early development of socialisation and interaction.

REFS
Bateman, A. & Katila, J. and Hofstetter, E. (2024). Exploring nurse responses to spontaneous breastfeeding episodes during routine infant health checks in Finland: A conversation analytic approach. Health Communication https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2024.2367349#abstract
Jefferson, G., Sacks, H. and Schegloff, E. (1987). Notes on laughter in the pursuit of intimacy, In Talk and Social Organisation (Graham Button, John R. E. Lee, eds.), Clevedon, Multilingual Matters, pp. 152–205.
Elinor Ochs, Bambi B. Schieffelin. (2011). Language socialisation. In Alessandro Duranti, (Ed.) The Handbook of Language Socialization, First Edition. Pp 1-21. Blackwel Publishing Ltd
Schegloff, E. and Sacks, H. (1973) Opening up closings, Semiotica, 8(4), 289-327)
Lebron, C. N., St. George, S. M., Eckembrecher, D. G., & Alvarez, L. M. (2020). “Am I doing this wrong?” Breastfeeding mothers’ use of an online forum. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 16(1), e12890. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12890