Breastfeeding and popular aetiology in the Sahel

Abstract

Two views about breastfeeding and the resumption of intercourse after a birth are found to prevail in Bamako and Bobo-Dioulasso, two cities of the Sahel region of Africa: that sexual relations may spoil the milk; and that a child should be weaned when the woman is pregnant again. Both beliefs provide a rationale to abstain, but the postpartum taboo has been greatly reduced in the area, and the second belief is the most important. ‘Bad milk’ serves as an explanation for many of the diarrhoeas and diseases of nutritional origin that affect infants and children. Traditional medical treatments of diarrhoea and protein calorie malnutrition are consistent with the popular aetiology. The acceptance of modern techniques of infant care in this area may well be predicated on the diffusion of an alternative model of disease causation.