Researchers have found that working mothers often stop breastfeeding when their maternity leave expires, according to
WalletPop.
Breastfeeding is healthy for both mother and child, and doctors advise mothers to breastfeed children throughout the first year, and that they should begin mixing in other nutrients like baby food and juice at the six month point.
But more women are stopping earlier, a decision often influenced by the length of their maternity leaves. Some leaves can be as short as six weeks, or even less—and women who take such little time off are three times as likely to stop breastfeeding once they get back to work.
Some mothers are able to continue breastfeeding at work, however—particularly women who live in states where it is legal to pump breast milk during work hours, as well as those who have their own offices.
For infants, breast milk decreases the chance of infections in the ear and lungs, in addition to protecting against stomach and digestive problems. It's even been shown to lower the risk of obesity and asthma later in life.
Mothers benefit from breastfeeding too, as it helps ward off certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, and even postpartum depression.
Breastfeeding can save money as well, WalletPop points out, since formula can be very expensive, as are doctors appointments to cover a less healthy mother or baby.
Did you expect to see a correlation between breastfeeding and maternity leaves? Should employers do more to protect the health of working moms and their children?
Image Source
Comments (41)
If anyone knows my stance on breastfeeding, it is ridiculous how nursing moms are treated when they return to work! Maternity leave NEEDS to be longer.
The correlation doesn't surprise me at all, and it is quite sad. It's just another statement about our society --- in the long run, the dollar matters more than anything else. :(
@XxFireXboltxX@xanga - Totally agree. We in the US should be supportive of breastfeeding mothers, instead of denying their rights and having such a short maternity leave. We could definitely take a hint from Canada and other Western nations.
Maternity leaves need to be way longer. Anyone know how we can change this? Maybe now that we point out how harmful too little breastfeeding is for the male babies too, it'll be easier.
i'm not surprised, but i feel very ehh about what employers "should" do. being an economically rightist libertarian, i think private industries can do whatever they want short of fraud and worker exploitation.
Not surprised at all. One of my main concerns of returning to work after ML is where/when I'm going to pump. I'm a teacher who shares a classroom so I can't just lock my door during my lunch or plan time, I'm going to end up with my pump in the teacher bathroom (ewww).
I'm lucky I can afford to take the full 12 weeks under FMLA, I've read too many posts in online baby communities about women struggling to take the 6 their DOCTORS are requesting them to so that they have time to heal from giving birth and bond.
I pretty much agree with everyone's statements about how maternity leaves are too short. I'm too young to have to go through one, of course, but I know friends's parents who have had to struggle with pumping during work.
Eh, I wouldn't breastfeed that long, if at all. :/
@blackspiders@xanga - Yeah, same here.
@blackspiders@xanga - May I ask why?
I am not surprised in the least. Emily was unable to nurse and I was forced to pump only. As is the case with many of us; pumping just didn't sustain my milk no matter what I did. I was fortunate to get a month's supply. Add the stress of going back to work, trying to find a place to pump, etc. and it is no wonder women are stopping.
Maternity leaves need to be longer.
I'm a huge fan of breastfeeding, however mothers have to make these choices themselves and do what's best for their family. Yes I did expect to see it. I talk to young women all the time who are making these choices. There are definate downsides to pumping breastmilk while at work. To begin with it's a hassle carrying the pump and the bags to store the milk in and trying to keep all the parts sterile at all times. Also pumped breastmilk is non-pasteurized and has to be handled carefully to avoid contamination it must be kept at the right temperature and used within a certain amount of time. It begins to lose nutritive value very quickly and faster if it isn't handled correctly If it is handled incorrectly by a hurried mom or more likely by a daycare worker it can make your baby very sick. Another alternative to quitting which alot of moms are not even aware of is to teach your body when to produce milk. It's a bit painful but it can be done and I've known several new moms who do it and love it. A couple weeks before they return to work they switch to their work schedule. They feed the baby before the time they will be going to work, and then use formula all day then feed the baby again when they will be returning home for the evening. This way the moms who can't continue to breastfeed full time can still breastfeed some, and some is better than none.
I think overall there needs to be more education and support with breastfeeding. While I do see a correlation with quitting breastfeeding and short maternity leave, I know many moms who just quit breastfeeding because it was "too hard". My son had latching issues and I continued to exclusively pump until he was 10 months old and I had enough breast milk stored to last until he was 15 mos. old. I was very fortunate with my employer at the time, who gave me a room to pump in and let me use my lunch hour over the course of the day to pump. I do think there needs to be a more supportive environment to help working moms.
Lol, why does it say in my Inbox that this is posted on Momaroo?
Woman should be able to nurse or pump if they choose at work within safety regulations, even if that means the baby has to be brought in by a care taker. I believe that the leave should be longer. When my friend had her daughter she took 4 months off (I think, might have been longer) and went back when they needed the money.
I'm not surprised at all. Pumping is so difficult for many moms. I know that I, personally, would try my hardest to pump and go to work, but from reading other mama's blogs on here who pump and work, I know it is quite a challenge. I am just very thankful that I have the opportunity to stay home with my children.
I think workplaces should be a little more understanding of pumping and provide adequate room or time for a woman to do so. Obviously she is making the choice to come back to work for them, so they should be considerate. But... things are never as they 'should' be.@MissPixieGlitter@xanga - I completely agree with you. Government regulation of these kind of things makes me very nervous.
I'm a conservative, so talking about the government regulating private industries to "help" mothers is not really helping anyone in the long run. Just brings us closer and closer to socialism.
If a mother is worried about giving her baby the best possible beginning, she needs to make sacrifices and consider quitting her job if she doesn't get a decent maternity leave. Government intervention is not the answer.
I'm so glad I live in Canada, I would never have been able to leave my daughter that soon. I just recently started back to work, right after her first birthday. We get 6 months maternity leave from the government and then either parent has another 6 months parental leave, Which I still don't think is enough. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, leave my daughter screaming because she didn't understand why I was leaving her. I've heard rumours that they are going to extend it to 2 years, which I think is a fabulous idea!
@SeeBeeWrite@xanga - lol Mine says that too!
"Did you expect to see a correlation between breastfeeding and maternity leaves? Should employers do more to protect the health of working moms and their children?" Yes and yes, although nothing will be done to help mothers and children. At least not in the U.S.
@averyswife@xanga - agreed. i wouldn't want to make that sacrifice (no one would, i think), but it's preferable to more government interventions.
Not at all. I worked for the first 6 months of my daughter's life. I worked in an office connected to my apartment, as an apartment manager. I took 2 weeks for myself to bond with baby and pump. My daughter was born premature, so I had to pump. After 6 weeks or so, my boss really wanted me back in the office during the office hours. That didn't work well with pumping every 2 hours. It is extremely difficult to juggle, so no It doesn't surprise me. It would really be nice if places were more willing to work and support a new mother with breastfeeding, but I honestly don't see that happening any time soon. We're pretty pathetic, actually.
Yes, like paid maternity leave lasting a year
I would just like to point out something on this statement: "women who live in states where it is legal to pump breast milk during work hours"
It is legal to pump breast milk in every state! And I'm certain that every state provides workers with a number of breaks throughout the workday, during which time nursing mothers can pump, smokers can smoke, FB addicts can update via BlackBerry, whatever. With that in mind, there are a couple of states that have extraordinarily great laws in favor of breastfeeding which require providing mothers with a private area (which is not a bathroom!) in which to pump and insuring enough breaks to do so. When special facilities do not exist for pumping, it is definitely more difficult, but the statement above applies that it is illegal to express breast milk during work in some states and that is not the case. Not that I think someone will read that and think, "Oh, it's illegal to pump on my lunch break" and then not do it, but I still thought I should mention it.
I've been working and pumping for almost 4 months now. Thankfully my employer was supportive (they'd rather I take 2 semi-working breaks a day than have unexpected absences with a sick baby), but supply is a constant worry and I constantly feel inadequate. I never get enough rest because I have to stay up after he goes to bed and get up early to pump. He periodically gets flow preference for his bottles instead of me. Now he's started biting with his teeth and I wish I could give it up, but I don't want to settle for less than the best when I'm lucky enough to breastfeed at all.