Infant feeding in traditional (non-White societies) is imbued within beliefs surrounding the human body and food. This article, framed within the liminality theory, demonstrates perspectives of 38 Vietnamese and Myanmarese refugee mothers. Situated within the postmodern methodological framework, innovative methods of in-depth interviewing and drawing were used to gather participant’s subjectivities. As birthing renders the new mother and infant weak, the findings mirror a “liminality to vitality” nurturing continuum, acknowledging the (a) essentialism of bodily breast milk, (b) rituals that strengthen mothers for lactation, (c) lactation-inducing food, and (d) culturally symbolic non-milk food that promote an independence for nourishment other than from the maternal body. Health care professionals are called to value the importance of bodily vitality in birthing and clinical maternal–child health/nutrition spheres so that culturally specific services and consultations are rendered. Our findings also offer a platform to developing models of care for families from Vietnamese and four ethnic Myanmarese communities. © The Author(s) 2019.

Australia culture solid food maternal body postmodern inquiry Vietnamese and Myanmarese arts-based research Refugees Infant feeding postpartum beliefs qualitative

infant feeding female Viet Nam drawing breast milk refugee Myanmar Australia child health lactation Article ritual human adult human experiment consultation