The World Health Organization suggests breastfeeding exclusively for at least six months. Unfortunately, continuing can be difficult once mothers have to return to work. Not only is their time with their infant limited, but they must also take time out of their day to pump.
A new study says, if mothers can stay at home, breastfeeding duration could increase by at least two weeks—and possibly even more. They examined data on 118,139 mothers who gave birth from 2017-2020. Initiation and duration of breastfeeding were examined and compared.
“Stay-at-home policies enabled parents to continue breastfeeding at home instead of returning to the workplace,” said first author Rita Hamad, MD, PhD, UCSF associate professor in Family and Community Medicine, and the director of UCSF’s Social Policies for Health Equity Research Program. “This suggests a pent-up demand for breastfeeding which may be stymied by the lack of a national paid family leave policy in the U.S.”
Initiation rates did not change during the pandemic period, but the increased length of time ranged from 10.3% (Hispanic mothers) to 19% (white mothers). High-income moms had the biggest increase (18.5% compared to 16.% among lower-income mothers).
The evidence supports change for new mothers in the U.S. Currently, it ranks the worst for initiation when compared to its peer countries, and it is the only high-income country that does not offer paid leave for new parents. Only 25% of private industries offer any sort of paid leave benefits for their employees, and minorities and low-pay workers are the least likely to be eligible.
“Our study suggests that breastfeeding duration in the U.S. would be higher and more comparable to peer countries if working parents were paid while staying home to care for their newborns, particularly parents of color and those with lower income jobs who can’t afford to take unpaid time off work,” said Hamad.
President Joe Biden announced a plan to allocate $325 billion in his 2024 budget proposal to ensure new parents were eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid leave so they could stay home and bond with their infants.
