Roghayyeh Bayazi, Lactation Consultant at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Pune
Mothers of 21st century are the greatest mothers of all ages. Why so – they are balancing their commitments for work and family together. With growing recognition for breastfeeding and many workplaces are breastfeeding-friendly as well, increasing number of working women choose to breastfeed their babies? Did you know, nearly 60% of women are in the workforce presently and out of these 63% are of child bearing age. Women with children are the fastest growing segment of workforce.
With adequate preparation, determination and support from family and employers, dual role of working as well as a nursing mother is possible. We all know, employment has impact on breastfeeding as it helps us to decide to breastfeed, duration to breastfeed and helps us plan and sustain the milk secretion. Full-time employment shortens breastfeeding duration and more than 80% wean before end of first month back at work back at work. Direct breastfeeding makes a difference.
It would be better that every lactating mother have counselling with lactation consultant to get prepare for joining office to learn important of continuation of breastfeeding in spite of resuming to work and get the right recommendation for correct methods of handling and storing human milk. Counselling at right time helps them to identify pitfalls associated with maintaining a breastmilk supply . Lactating mothers need to know which pump is suitable for them and a lactation consultant is the right person to provide criteria used while selecting the breast pump.
| Did you know
· Professional workers 20% more likely in initiate breastfeeding. · Full time workers 10% less likely to initiate breastfeeding. · Full time workers 19% less likely to breastfeed beyond 6 month. |
Return to work before 12 weeks and after 12 weeks while working full time significantly shortened breastfeeding duration.
Workplace Barriers to Breastfeeding
Workplace issues that act as barriers for breastfeeding and sustaining milk secretion are as follows:
- The physical environment at work
- Lack of Privacy
- Job settings at work schedules
- Jobs that required constant physical pressure
- Lack of Managerial support
- Shyness in discussing needs with supervisor
- Travel commitments
- Inappropriate comments at work
- Multiple jobs
- Lack of familial support
- Lack of job security
Workplace tips
- Employee benefits by corporates have a direct effect on breastfeeding rate among working mothers.
- Lactating mothers at workplace should be offered flexible working hours and if possible a dedicated lactation room should also be provided that offers more privacy and comfort to working mothers.
- A private area with an electrical outlet to express milk during the work day and need to be accessible for clean water for better hygiene and fridge for storage of expressed milk.
- Moreover if the workplace is near their home so having Flexible Break time can be helpful because it will give chance to mother to visit home multiple time for breastfeeding or can use 15 minutes break 2-3 times per day to express her milk.
Tips for Working Mothers
- Establish and maintain a good supply of Breastmilk before returning to work : It is important to set your goal and discuss all kind of support required with your family and at workplace
- Start Breastfeeding within the first hour of your delivery and give unrestricted, continuous and exclusive breastfeed. The best way to stimulate the breast milk production is to let the baby suckle breast frequently
- Relax as much as possible and have confidence in yourself. Stress, fatigue, lack of confidence will hinder breastmilk production.
- Before returning to work, learn to express breastmilk by hand or by using a breast pump. Seek help from a lactation consultant
- Nurse your baby before leaving for work and as soon as you return from work
- At work, nurse your breastmilk during lunch breaks, tea breaks or whenever your breasts are full. This helps to maintain breastmilk supply and prevents engorgement
- Allow enough time for some night feeds before going to bed. Night feeds can help you increase milk production and enable you to maintain enough breastmilk supply
- Give unrestricted and demand feeds during weekends and off days. This will help you maintain breastmilk supply for the week ahead
New mothers need to remember that breastmilk production is a “supply and demand” process— the more the baby nurses, or you stimulate your breasts with hand expression or pumping, the more milk you produce. Each woman’s working schedule and situation will be different, including time availability and accommodations for pumping and storage of milk. Always remember, baby care is a full time job and it is very important that you choose to connect with a certified lactation consultant who can guide you about milk storage, paced bottle feedings and your baby’s individual feeding cues and needs. Continuing to breastfeed after return to work or school is certainly possible. Prepare yourself by talking with other mothers who have successfully combined working and nursing as well as co-workers and your boss. Plan ahead for childcare options as well as places to pump and store your milk. Separation from your baby can be stressful but with good planning and support it can make the transition as easy as possible.
In short, women work to create career, to maintain a lifestyle and most mothers believe they should work. To plan and support breastfeeding during current pandemic two areas need to be considered.
- Always practice of skin-to-skin care and provide awareness to parents and family members regarding the benefits of skin-to-skin contact and importance of direct breastfeeding
- If mothers are too ill to breastfeed they still be supported to express their milk, and the infant should be fed by a healthy individual.
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2017)
