Assumptions and advice: mothers and Queensland well-baby clinics. A review.

Abstract

In 20th century Australia, free well-baby clinics were run by maternal and child health nurses, although the funding and organisational structure varied from state to state. It was assumed that women who attended followed the advice assiduously; yet attendance did not necessarily equate to practice. In Queensland, the state government's free Maternal and Child Welfare Service (MCW) advised mothers on infant feeding and care through well-baby clinics throughout the state, a correspondence section for mothers in remote areas and a railcar clinic to some western towns, under the state government's policy of covering every mother and baby in Queensland. Women in Queensland, as in other states, were exposed to other influences on how to feed babies and often exercised agency in making their own decisions according to their circumstances and their own judgment. This review will place research from Queensland on women's reasons for attending the clinics and adherence to the advice provided, during the period 1920-1965, within a wider context. This includes research on barriers to following advice, counselling versus imparting information and the mother's self-efficacy. The message for today is that adherence to advice still cannot be assumed and mothers' own circumstances need to be factored in.