Workplace Leave and Breastfeeding Duration Among Postpartum Women, 2016–2018

Abstract

Objectives. To examine associations of workplace leave length with breastfeeding initiation and continuation at 1, 2, and 3 months. Methods. We analyzed 2016 to 2018 data for 10 sites in the United States from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, a site-specific, population-based surveillance system that samples women with a recent live birth 2 to 6 months after birth. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined associations of leave length (< 3 vs ≥ 3 months) with breastfeeding outcomes. Results. Among 12 301 postpartum women who planned to or had returned to the job they had during pregnancy, 42.1% reported taking unpaid leave, 37.5% reported paid leave, 18.2% reported both unpaid and paid leave, and 2.2% reported no leave. Approximately two thirds (66.2%) of women reported taking less than 3 months of leave. Although 91.2% of women initiated breastfeeding, 81.2%, 72.1%, and 65.3% of women continued breastfeeding at 1, 2, and 3 months, respectively. Shorter leave length (< 3 months), whether paid or unpaid, was associated with lower prevalence of breastfeeding at 2 and 3 months compared with 3 or more months of leave. Conclusions. Women with less than 3 months of leave reported shorter breastfeeding duration than did women with 3 or more months of leave. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(11):2036–2045. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306484 )

Achieving healthy people 2030 breastfeeding targets in the United States: challenges and opportunities

“…In another study, the researchers examined the associations between workplace leave length and breastfeeding initiation and continuation at 1, 2, and 3 months in a cohort of 12,301 postpartum women [ 9 ]. Approximately two thirds (66.2%) of women reported taking less than 3 months of leave.…”

Association Between Length of Maternity Leave and Breastfeeding Duration in the United States

“…Thirteen articles (56.5%) used national survey data, including the National Immunization Survey, the National WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study Survey, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Infant Feeding Practices Study II, to analyze the relationship between maternity leave and breastfeeding duration. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] Eight articles (34.7%) used local survey data, of which two articles (8.7%) studied activeduty military mothers, 31,32 three (13.0%) used statewide survey data, [33][34][35] and three (13.0%) were cohort studies at local hospitals. [36][37][38] The remaining two articles (8.7%) provided narrative information based on previous literature.…”

“…Except for the two military studies, 31,32 the articles relied on breastfeeding parents to self-report their leave. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][33][34][35][36][37][38] Reporting of parental leave length taken varied greatly among the included studies, ranging from less than 6 weeks to longer than 12 weeks. In addition, studies categorized maternity leave differently, with categories as broad as "returned to work" compared with "did not return to work" 18,36,38 and others subcategorizing further into part-time compared with full-time return to work.…”

The State of our Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare Programs: Ten Years After the 2011 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding

“…There are various and multifaceted factors that prevent breastfeeding families from meeting these recommendations and their feeding goals, including persistent racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities (Chiang et al, 2021). Further, employment and short parental leave are a known barrier to continued and exclusive breastfeeding (Jantzer et al, 2018; Korsmit et al, 2021; Taylor et al, 2020). Forty-seven percent of U.S. infants (Corcoran & Steinley, 2019) are receiving care from a childcare provider—an “individual or individuals who are responsible for the care and early development of young children in a child care facility, their home, or private households” (U.S.…”