A focused ethnography aimed at describing the factors affecting the timing of breastfeeding initiation among Haitian mothers, particularly the specific cultural beliefs and practices was conducted in Artibonite, Haiti during June of 2013. A total of 25 Haitian mothers with children less than 12 months old participated in the study, which included the use of interviews, observations, and artifacts as data sources. A thick description was developed through the integration of qualitative and quantitative data. The self-reported timing of breastfeeding initiation ranged from 10 minutes birth to 24 hours after birth among the 23 participants able to quantify the specific time of breastfeeding initiation. Early breastfeeding initiation (breastfeeding initiation in the first hour of life) occurred with 16 (64%) of the sample and delayed breastfeeding initiation occurred with the remaining 9 (36%) of the sample. Mothers described baby care by birth attendants as well as actual and perceived health issues of the mother and child as some of the factors influencing timing of breastfeeding initiation. Future research should further explore factors influencing timing of breastfeeding initiation particularly from the perspective of various types of birth attendants.
Open Source Archives
We strive to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and the implementation of progressive and participatory research methods, with the goal of generating tangible, durable changes in the way research about Haiti is conceptualized, implemented and applied.
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Research Hub & Open Source Archives
EKO HAITI Research Hub is a research and knowledge mobilization platform focused on creative, collaborative and interdisciplinary research and associated research-based learning. We aim to become the intellectual “home” for research about Haiti by creating and providing open access to the largest crowdsourced research archive dedicated to Haiti, by fostering cross-disciplinary research and innovation, and by providing support for progressive research in the form of contextual expertise and training.
“The trees fall from time to time, but the voice of the forest never loses its power. Life begins.”
Jacques Alexis, Les Arbres Musiciens (Paris, 1957)
ORAL HISTORIES
Oral histories are a powerful tool in developing historical understanding
Oral history offers an alternative to conventional history, filling gaps in traditional research with personal accounts of historically significant events or simply life in a specific place and time. Oral histories do more than provide charming details to dry historical accounts. In fact, oral histories help others recapture lived experiences that are not written down in traditional sources.
> Transcripts archive
" Bwa pi wo di li wè lwen, men grenn pwomennen di li wè pi lwen pase l "
The tallest tree says that it sees far, but the seed that travels says that it sees even further.
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