Breastfeeding promotion for the employed mother

Intervention Strategies and Lessons Learned From a Student-Led Initiative to Support Lactating Women in the University Setting

The benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby are strongly supported by research. However, lactating parents who return to school or work soon after delivery face many barriers to continued breastfeeding. This article presents a student-led initiative to support lactation at a large public university that emerged from advocacy efforts of student mothers of color. The socioecological model was used as a framework to understand and address the multifaceted influences on breastfeeding practices. Project activities included providing breastfeeding education to lactating parents and their partners, measuring availability and accessibility of lactation spaces, improving lactation spaces, connecting university stakeholders, and strengthening university lactation policies. The project achieved the following outcomes: formation of a stakeholder group with members across campus departments, improvement in accessibility and appropriateness of lactation spaces, provision of breastfeeding services through workshops and one-on-one appointments with lactation educators, and creation and dissemination of an online toolkit outlining parents' lactation rights and support available on campus. Comprehensive lactation support at universities is essential to enhance educational and professional equity for women and to promote postpartum and infant health. Throughout the project implementation, the team learned many lessons that can help guide similar university initiatives.

Workplace Lactation Programs in Small WIC Service Sites: A Potential Model

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has an opportunity to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding by implementing and modeling workplace lactation programs in small WIC agencies that may have barriers regarding the lack of both human and financial resources. The goal of this article was to describe effective strategies for agency administrators in small WIC service sites so that they can reduce barriers, successfully implement workplace lactation policies and programs, and model successful strategies for other small employers.

Influence of partner support on an employed mother's intention to breastfeed after returning to work

BACKGROUND

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.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

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.

RESULTS

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.

CONCLUSIONS

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

BACKGROUND

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.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

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.

RESULTS

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).

CONCLUSIONS

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.

The Family and Medical Leave Act: implications for occupational and environmental health nursing

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted in 1993 to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families. Balancing work and family responsibilities will affect most workers as they experience their own serious illness or care for a child or a parent. The FMLA continues to present challenges regarding medical certifications, recordkeeping, intermittent leave management, and lack of understanding by employees and employers about rights and responsibilities under the law. This article discusses the rights and responsibilities of both parties. It also discusses how the occupational and environmental health nurse can bridge the gap between meeting the needs of the employee and those of the employer by serving as educator, advocate, and liaison/collaborator, leading to measurable cost savings for the employer and immeasurable benefits for the employee.

Human milk pumping rates of mothers of singletons and mothers of multiples

Rates of breastfeeding are increasing, but the methods by which human milk is fed to infants is not well described. Using a retrospective survey design, the authors collected information about infant feeding from mothers of term, preterm, singleton, and multiple-gestation infants (n=346). Human milk feeding methods were characterized as solely at the breast, pumped only, or a combination. Sixty-eight percent of mothers in the study fed their infants at least some human milk; 77% of these mothers reported pumping milk. There was no difference in the percentage of pumping based on multiple gestation or length of pregnancy. Feeding human milk solely at the breast at early postpartum time points was associated with longer durations of human milk feeding overall. More research is needed to better understand why mothers choose pumping over direct human milk feedings and to evaluate the health outcomes associated with this practice.

From bioactive substances to research on breast-feeding promotion

Despite known health benefits, exclusive breast-feeding for at least 4 months is uncommon in many countries. In Mexico, most mothers initiate breast-feeding but few breast-feed exclusively.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to examine the effectiveness of home visits by lay peer counselors to increase exclusive breast-feeding among mothers in a periurban area of Mexico.

METHODS

An ethnographic assessment conducted in 1994 that identified key maternal beliefs, practices, and needs was used to guide educational strategies. Lay counselors were recruited from the same community and trained by La Leche League. From March 1995 through September 1996, pregnant women were identified by community census and invited to participate. Women were enrolled into a randomized, controlled study of 3 groups: no intervention (control), 3 visits, and 6 visits during pregnancy and early postpartum. Data collection was performed by a social worker apart from the counselors. Exclusive breast-feeding was defined by WHO criteria.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 130 women; 52 were in the 3-visit group, 44 in the 6-visit group, and 34 in the control group. Study groups did not differ in the maternal characteristics or initiation of breast-feeding (96%). At 3 months postpartum, exclusive breast-feeding was practiced by only 12% of controls vs. 52% in the 3-visit group and 67% in the 6-visit group (P < 0.001, log rank test). In the first 3 months, significantly (P = 0.037) fewer intervention than control infants had an episode of diarrhea (11% vs. 26%, respectively). Intervention effectiveness was independent of maternal factors or birth hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

This unique experimental study demonstrated a dramatic increase in exclusive breast-feeding and a significant reduction in infant illness in an urban community through well-designed maternal support including early intervention and repeated contact.

Breastfeeding in the workplace

More than 50% of women of reproductive age are employed, and most return to work post partum at a time when exclusive breastfeeding is the ideal. Public health efforts target a goal of increased breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. To be successful at integrating the roles of breastfeeding mother and employee, women need practical advice, the encouragement and support of health care providers, and societal and workplace support. This article discusses the current state of employed breastfeeding women and provides practical guidelines for assisting women to be successful at meeting breastfeeding goals.