Associate professor of child public health, Swansea University
Amy's background is in psychology and she now applies psychology to understanding health behaviour and developing behavioural interventions. Amy is particularly interested in infant and maternal health during pregnancy and the first year postpartum and how varied psychological, social and cultural factors can affect decisions and experiences at this time.
Amy specialises in research around how babies are fed; whether they are breast or formula fed, how they are introduced to solid foods and the impact these decisions could have on their long term eating behaviour and weight. Over the last twelve years she has explored how choices made around how babies are fed are rarely simply those suggested by policy as ideal, but instead affected by a multitude of complex factors, often outside the mothers' control.
In particular, her research focusses on why feeding babies is a public health issue, affected heavily by societal and cultural beliefs and behaviours, and therefore why responsibility for feeding should not lie solely with the mother. Interventions to improve infant feeding choices should instead be targeted at wider society.
Her long-term aim is to develop interventions to support new mothers to feel confident, informed and supported in their choices.
Amy's book "Breastfeeding Uncovered' is published in October.
Why getting babies into strict routines isn't all it's cracked up to be
Sep 27, 2016 16:49 pm UTC| Life
The transition to becoming a new mother can be one of the most stressful times in a womans life. A loss of independence and control combined with the overwhelming, unrelenting realisation that you are now responsible for...
Traumatic breastfeeding experiences are the reason we must continue to promote it
Aug 06, 2016 07:34 am UTC| Health
World Breastfeeding Week was designed to promote, protect and encourage breastfeeding. To celebrate the marvel of women nourishing a whole new tiny person. To highlight why we need to invest in our new mothers, babies and...
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