Breastfeeding-friendly Workplaces Research Articles

The benefits of breastfeeding for the health of the infant, the mother and the impact this has on public health in Brazil

Breastfeeding is a fundamental practice for a baby's health and proper development, offering a number of short- and long-term benefits for the baby and the mother. This natural form of feeding provides all the essential nutrients a baby needs in the first 6 months of life, promoting proper, healthy growth and strengthening the newborn's immune system. In nutritional terms, breast milk is a complete source of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins. Breastfeeding provides a deep emotional connection between mother and child, allowing the release of feel-good hormones, promoting an emotional bond and a sense of security and tranquillity for the baby. For mothers, breastfeeding also brings numerous benefits. The release of oxytocin during breastfeeding helps to reduce postpartum bleeding and increases contraction of the uterus, aiding postpartum recovery and preventing hemorrhage. Breastfeeding can help with post-pregnancy weight loss and reduce the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The (WHO) and (UNICEF) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a baby's life, followed by the gradual introduction of complementary foods up to the age of two. However, despite the numerous benefits, many women face challenges to breastfeeding, including lack of support, returning to work and lack of information. It is therefore crucial to promote policies that support breastfeeding, such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding-friendly workplaces and education programs for pregnant women and health professionals.

Determinants of Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate in Central Region of Ghana Health

The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has recently garnered significant attention from public health experts. Recognised as a cost-effective strategy, EBF significantly enhances the well-being of both mothers and infants. This study investigates the factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practices in Ghana's Central Region, with a focus on the role of socio-demographic characteristics. The study used a cross-sectional study design and a structured questionnaire to collect data from 358 breastfeeding mothers across 15 health centres in the Central Region of Ghana. The findings reveal a weak but statistically significant correlation between socio-demographic characteristics and EBF practices (Pearson correlation r = 0.179, P = 0.001), indicating that factors such as maternal age, education, marital status, and number of births modestly influence EBF practices. Similarly, a weak negative correlation was observed between socio-demographic factors and current breastfeeding rates (Pearson correlation = 0.105 r = 0.105, P = 0.048), suggesting some level of impact by these variables. However, the relationship between working status and breastfeeding practices was found to be non-significant (Pearson correlation = 0.011, r = 0.011, P = 0.181). Based on these findings, the study recommends tailored public health interventions that address specific demographic characteristics, enhanced awareness and education on EBF, the development of breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies, and further research utilising qualitative methods to better understand the complexities of breastfeeding behavior.

Implementation and Preliminary Assessment of Workplace Post-Natal and Breastfeeding Support for Working Mothers

Breastfeeding is undoubtedly the best nutrition for infants. Even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, more pregnant mothers intend to breastfeed their babies. Despite this desire, not all of them succeed in initiating breastfeeding. One of the overlooked challenges in breastfeeding is that working mothers need to return to work, increasing hesitancy to continue breastfeeding due to numerous inconveniences, leading to full breastfeeding cessation. Systematic changes are needed following simple and practical changes: giving access to knowledge on breastfeeding while working, sharing advice and support from employers and colleagues, and providing a breastfeeding-friendly workplace, all of which can increase breastfeeding rates in many countries. Improvement in breastfeeding habits would also bring greater impact as increases in working mothers’ wellbeing will increase their work performance. Danone has done several breastfeeding initiatives and post-natal support in workplaces which has shown a positive impact through preliminary evaluation included in this study. The corporate world has not fully supported breastfeeding, but some best practices and learning points shed from this study could become an example that would lead to better commitments from other companies.

Towards a comprehensive breastfeeding-friendly workplace environment: insight from selected healthcare facilities in the central region of Ghana

BackgroundIn the last three decades, Ghana has championed the objectives of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiatives to provide pregnant women and nursing mothers with the skills and support systems necessary for attaining optimal breastfeeding. Yet, little is known in literature on how these intervention regimes practically promote breastfeeding-friendly work environment in healthcare facilities and their level of effectiveness. This study explores the extent to which healthcare facilities in Ghana’s Effutu Municipality provide breastfeeding-friendly workplace environment to breastfeeding frontline health workers.MethodsA descriptive mixed-method approach was employed to collect data from fifty-four participants, comprising healthcare facility representatives and breastfeeding frontline health workers. A self-administered questionnaire with structured responses was administered to frontline health workers, followed by interview guides for representatives of hospital management. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview responses. Responses to questionnaires were processed with SPSS version 23.0 and presented using frequencies and percentages.ResultsThree main themes emerged, namely, Standpoints on workplace breastfeeding support; Breastfeeding support, and Suggested future directions. Beyond this, six sub-themes emerged, including backings for workplace breastfeeding support; perceived benefits of breastfeeding support; factors of poor breastfeeding workplace support; maternity protection benefits; workplace support gaps, and awareness creation on benefits. Breastfeeding frontline health workers held that their hospitals have no breastfeeding policy (96%), no breastfeeding facility (96%), they do not go to work with baby (96%), but had 12 weeks maternity leave (96%) and worked half-day upon return to work (70%).ConclusionHealth facilities in the study do not provide a breastfeeding-friendly work environment except for the privileges provided by the Labor Act and conditions of service. Continuous advocacy on breastfeeding workplace support and stakeholder engagement to build consensus on the mix of strategies suitable to cushion breastfeeding frontline health workers is recommended for optimal breastfeeding and improved productivity.

Factors Associated with the Maintenance of Breastfeeding at One Year among Women in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This study aimed to investigate factors associated with breastfeeding for at least one year among women in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 451 mothers with children aged between 12 and 24 months who visited the well-baby clinic among women who visited the well-baby clinic in secondary and tertiary hospitals. The data collected included maternal sociodemographic information, employment status, reasons contributing to continued breastfeeding, primary sources of information, and influential people affecting continued breastfeeding. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between explanatory variables and continued breastfeeding at one year. Reporting “easier to bond with baby” as a reason to continue breastfeeding (AOR 3.118, 95% CI: 2.022, 4.809) and multiparous status (AOR 1.588, 95% CI: 1.042, 2.420) were positive predictors of mothers who had breastfeeding at least one year postpartum while mothers with undergraduate education level (AOR 0.635, 95% CI: 0.404, 0.997) were more likely to discontinue breastfeeding. Our study highlighted that working mothers have lower odds of continued breastfeeding than stay-at-home mothers (SAHMs), which was found for work with day shifts (AOR 0.437, 95% CI: 0.261, 0.731), work with rotational shifts (AOR 0.481, 95% CI: 0.247, 0.934), and work from home jobs with a flexible schedule (AOR 0.439, 95% CI: 0.229, 0.838). These findings showed that both employment outside home and work from home were strong risk factors for discontinuing breastfeeding before 12 months. We suggest that a breastfeeding-friendly workplace policy is essential to enhance the continuance of breastfeeding. Additionally, working at home requires more research to explore breastfeeding barriers and establish more support strategies.

Experiences of workplace breastfeeding in a provincial government setting: a qualitative exploratory study among managers and mothers in South Africa

BackgroundReturn to employment is a major barrier to breastfeeding continuation, globally and in the Southern African context. The Lancet Breastfeeding Series revealed an explicit need for research exploring breastfeeding as a workplace issue in low- and middle-income countries. A dearth of research on workplace breastfeeding in South Africa calls for attention to this topic. This study sought to explore breastfeeding at work experiences from the perspective of employed mothers and senior managers in a provincial government setting in South Africa.MethodsThe study adopted an exploratory qualitative design with multi-perspective semi-structured interviews. Snowball sampling was employed to recruit twelve participants, senior managers (n = 4) and employed mothers (n = 8), from two provincial government departments in Cape Town, South Africa. Interviews were conducted between April and August 2018 to capture participants’ experiences with breastfeeding in the workplace. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data.ResultsFour key themes that described experiences of workplace breastfeeding emerged which further traversed three critical maternity periods: pregnancy, maternity leave, and return to work. The prevalent themes were: 1) Knowledge about the legislation and breastfeeding support benefits. Most participants only knew about the legislated four months maternity leave and time off for prenatal visits but lacked knowledge about comprehensive maternity benefits; 2) Perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding in the workplace. Breastfeeding was perceived to be a mother’s responsibility and a private issue. As a result, most participants stopped breastfeeding prior to or immediately upon return to work after maternity leave; 3) Barriers to breastfeeding continuation, such as the absence of a conversation about infant feeding plans between managers and mothers; and 4) Recommendations to improve breastfeeding support at work from an individual, organisational and national level.ConclusionsOur study contributions emphasise that breastfeeding support from managers should begin prior to the mother taking maternity leave, and that in addition to providing supportive facilities (such as private space and breastmilk storage), immediate supervisor support may be critical in fostering breastfeeding-friendly workplaces for mothers. Management implications for advancing workplace breastfeeding support in the public sector are presented.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Breastfeeding Among Working Mothers in South Jordan.

Breast milk is the ideal food for human infants, with benefits to mothers and babies. However, working mothers are more likely to choose not to breastfeed or to interrupt breastfeeding prematurely. This study assessed breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among working mothers in South Jordan. Four hundred cross-sectional, self-administered Arabic surveys were distributed to working mothers at their workplaces. In addition to measuring mothers' knowledge of and attitudes toward breastfeeding, barriers that prevented continuing breastfeeding beyond 6 months were also explored. Three hundred forty-four (80%) completed questionnaires were returned. The breastfeeding initiation rate was 72.4%, but only 20.9% were exclusively breastfeeding by 6 months. The participants showed satisfactory knowledge about breastfeeding and had positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. Most of the women who initiated breastfeeding reported ending breastfeeding prematurely. Approximately 30% of the mothers attributed premature cessation of breastfeeding to work. The results of this study could be useful for health care providers and policy makers when planning effective breastfeeding promotion programs and creating breastfeeding-friendly workplaces.

Widespread usage of infant formula in China: a major public health problem.

The potential health risks of infant formula feeding are well established. This study investigated the opinions and perceptions of mothers and recommendations by hospital staff with respect to infant formula usage in China. A cross-sectional survey of 726 mothers within 6 months postpartum and 241 hospital staff, using structured questionnaires, was conducted in Hangzhou and Shenzhen, China. Overall, 474 of 726 (65.3%) infants aged within 6 months had consumed some infant formula. About 40.0 percent of mothers chose a hybrid brand of formula (manufactured in China but owned by a foreign company), over imported (< 32.0%) and domestic brands (< 28.0%), despite their higher level of confidence on the quality of imported brands. Perceived insufficient breastmilk production (86.2%) was the most common reason for giving infant formula, followed by return to work (24.6%). Of the 241 hospital staff, 97 (40.2%) gave no recommendation about infant formula brand for infants at any age. However, 47.2 percent of the remaining staff recommended a hybrid brand in combination with an imported and/or a domestic product. Perceptions by mothers and recommendations from hospital staff appear to contribute to the widespread usage of infant formula in China. It is important to ensure breastmilk substitutes are prescribed to Chinese infants strictly for medical reasons. Maternal education programs incorporating information on food safety issues and establishment of breastfeeding-friendly workplaces could curtail the common practice of formula feeding in China.

Influence of Partner Support on an Employed Mother's Intention to Breastfeed After Returning to Work

Despite the increasing number of large companies complying with the demands for a breastfeeding-friendly workplace, providing on-site lactation support, some mothers still find continuing to breastfeed a challenge. We postulated that greater support and encouragement from the partner would be independently predictive of whether the mother would take advantage of workplace milk expression breaks and lactation rooms and continue to breastfeed after returning to work. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan. Six hundred eight working mothers in an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan who had access to dedicated lactation rooms at the workplace were interviewed. Questionnaire content included female employee demographics, employment characteristics, partner-related characteristics, and breastfeeding behavior after returning to work following the birth of their most recently born child. The partner's initial support of the choice to breastfeed and encouragement to use the lactation room and milk expression breaks and the mother's perception of the partner's support for baby care were significant predictors of the intention to continue to breastfeed after returning to work, after adjusting for the employed mother's demographics and employment characteristics, supporting our hypothesis. These findings suggest that antenatal education or activities provided by the workplace should include the partner, which may improve workplace breastfeeding rates.

Employee Perception of Breastfeeding-Friendly Support and Benefits of Breastfeeding as a Predictor of Intention to Use Breast-Pumping Breaks After Returning to Work Among Employed Mothers

Although increasing numbers of large companies are complying with demands for a breastfeeding-friendly workplace by providing lactation rooms and breast-pumping breaks, the effectiveness for intention to use breast-pumping breaks to express breast milk among employed mothers is uncertain. To explore the impact of employees' perceived breastfeeding support from the workplace and the benefits of breastfeeding on a woman's intention to use breast-pumping breaks after returning to work, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 715 working mothers employed in an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan. Questionnaire content included female employee demographics, employment characteristics, and breastfeeding behavior after returning to work, as well as employees' perception of breastfeeding-friendly support and awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding when raising their most recently born child. Higher education (odds ratio [OR] 2.33), non-clean room worksite (OR 1.51), awareness of breast-pumping breaks (OR 4.70), encouragement by colleagues to use breast-pumping breaks (OR 1.76), and greater awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding (OR 1.08) were significant predictors of the use of breast-pumping breaks after returning to work, whereas the perception of inefficiency when using breast-pumping breaks reduced an employed mother's intention to use breast-pumping breaks (OR 0.55). This study finds an association between an appreciation of the benefits provided by the employer and the likelihood of increased usage of breastfeeding breaks. Workplaces and employers can help employed mothers to understand the benefits of breastfeeding, which may increase the intention of the mother to take breast-pumping breaks after returning to work.

Evaluating Attitudes Toward Workplace Support for Breastfeeding Among Hospital Managers

Background: Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act has become a law, the enforcement provisions of the legislation are limited. Identifying attitudes and beliefs held by managerial roles may uncover barriers to breastfeeding support in the workplace and guide International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) who are designing workplace support programs.Objective: The objectives were (a) to identify factors influencing managers’, service line directors’, and administrators’ attitudes about support for breastfeeding; (b) to develop a BreastfeedingFriendly Workplace Initiative addressing the identified factors; and (c) to assess the effectiveness of the initiatives in changing employers’ attitudes about support for breastfeeding in the workplace.Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from November 2010 to January 2011 in an urban academic medical center. Self-report, pretest, and posttest questionnaires were used in a convenience sample of 49 supervisors, managers, administrators, and charge nurses.Results: Following the implementation of the Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace program, the overall managers’ perceptions and attitudes toward providing breastfeeding support were positive. Posttest scores revealed that most people in managerial roles rated their intent, subjective norms, personal beliefs, and having control over providing support to breastfeeding working women higher than the baseline mean scores.Conclusions: Findings demonstrated that managers’ perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and intention to support breastfeeding improved the implementation of the hospital breastfeedingsupport program. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the workplace lactation program on the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding among employed mothers.

Impact of a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace on an Employed Mother's Intention to Continue Breastfeeding After Returning to Work

Ever-increasing populations of women in their childbearing years are choosing to become employed. Breastfeeding provides unique health advantages to both the infant and mother. A breastfeeding-friendly workplace might be an important factor for predicting breastfeeding rates among working women. To explore the impact of breastfeeding-friendly support on the intention of working mothers to continue breastfeeding, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 715 working mothers employed in an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan. Questionnaire content included female employee demographics, employment characteristics, continued breastfeeding behavior after returning to work, access to lactation rooms, and employee perception of the breastfeeding policy and support when raising their most recently born child. A higher education level (odds ratio [OR]=2.66), lower work load (8 work hours/day) (OR=2.66), lactation room with dedicated space (OR=2.38), use of breast pumping breaks (OR=61.6), and encouragement from colleagues (OR=2.78) and supervisors (OR=2.44) to use breast pumping breaks were significant predictors of continued breastfeeding for more than 6 months after returning to work. The findings of the present study suggest that to encourage and increase the rate of continued breastfeeding, workplaces should establish dedicated breastfeeding rooms and maintain a comfortable and clean environment. Furthermore, employers should provide encouragement and support for working mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

Fostering a breastfeeding-friendly workplace

Creating supportive environments that encourage mothers to breastfeed their children has emerged in recent years as a key health issue for women and children. Taiwan has a large and still growing number of new mothers in the workplace. Early postpartum return to work and inconvenient workplace conditions often discourage women from breastfeeding or cause early discontinuation. This study describes the current status of worksite breastfeeding-friendly policies in Taiwan and selected other countries and assesses the effects of work-related factors on working mother breastfeeding behavior. Although maternity leave has been positively correlated with breastfeeding duration, maternity leave in Taiwan remains significantly shorter than in other countries. Flexible working conditions, the provision of lactation rooms, and support from colleagues are critical components of promoting breastfeeding in the workplace.

Multimedia Review: Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace: Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work

Multimedia Review: Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace: Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work