Extending Maternity Leaves

It was recently reported in Canada, that extending maternity leaves helps more moms breastfeed their infants longer. This is great news! By extending maternity leaves from 6 months to a full year, there was a corresponding increase in the numbers of women who were still breastfeeding their infants at 6 months. Previously 20% of women were breastfeeding at 6 months and after the extension, 28% continued to breastfeed at 6 months. This represents a 40% increase. So more women were breastfeeding and that's a good thing.

The study also found that by extending maternity leaves the additional 6 months, breastfeeding was prolonged an additional 1 month. All of this is good news for those of us committed to providing women with all the support they need to breastfeed their babies. I’ve long been an advocate of breastfeeding. I work with pregnant women and new moms in my OB/GYN practice, (there is a lactation center in my building), and getting babies latched on is one of the skills, I'm proud to have mastered. I've been helping countless moms and babies breastfeed for the last 20 years! It's such rewarding work. In fact, I wrote Your Personal Guide to Breastfeeding, to help women get the practical information they need to breastfeed their babies. Returning to work outside the home after having a baby is a juggling act! If women have the choice and the financial resources they need in order to stay home to care for their little ones, everyone benefits. And, as we’ve seen, it does have a positive impact on breastfeeding rates.

And of course, more work needs to be done to support moms who want to continue to breastfeed, but must return to work. Not every woman has a corner office where she can pump in private. I’d like to see more industries and companies provide private areas and breaks so that a new mom can pump. I think about some of my patients who work in restaurants or in bank offices. It’s very difficult for them to pump when there is only one small bathroom for all employees and it may or may not be large enough for a chair or a table to hold the pump. I also wonder about how clean these bathrooms are. Then I think about my patients who pump in their cars, who are petrified that someone will see them. Just finding a private place that where a mom can feel safe and pump can be a logistical nightmare! When I think about what I have done, and so many of my patients and friends have done, to provide breastmilk to our babies, I know that we still have a long way to go. I’d like to see extended maternity leaves so that moms who want to breastfeed as long as possible get a some real breaks. There's so much more to be done. I think that working together, we can support moms who work outside the home, who want to breastfeed for the recommended 6 - 12 months. I'm in favor of women having the option of longer maternity leaves, so that they can make the best choice for themselves and their families.