Breastfeeding and the Working Mother: Barriers and Intervention Strategies

Barber-Madden, Rosemary; Petschek, Marybeth Albanese; Pakter, Jean

doi:10.2307/3342277

Cited by 47 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Inadequate comprehensive maternity leave policies, lack of child care facilities at or near the workplace, rigid time schedules that do not allow for nursing breaks, lack of facilities providing privacy for breast-pumping and absence of facilities for refrigeration of pumped breast milk are among factors that affect breastfeeding prevalence among working mothers [26,27]. The maternity leave for working mothers in Saudi Arabia is very well outlined; she is entitled to 60 days leave with full salary and up to 3 years at 25 percent of her salary [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practice among school teachers in Abha female educational district, southwestern Saudi Arabia

Al-Binali

2012

Int Breastfeed J

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BackgroundInadequate knowledge, or inappropriate practice, of breastfeeding may lead to undesirable consequences. The aim of this study was to assess breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among female teachers in the Abha Female Educational District and identify factors that may affect breastfeeding practice in the study population.MethodsA cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among school teachers in Abha Female Educational District during the months of April to June, 2011. Breastfeeding KAP of participants who had at least one child aged five years or younger at the time of the study were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire, based on their experience with the last child.ResultsA total of 384 women made up of 246 (61.1%) primary-, 89 (23.2%) intermediate- and 49 (12.8%) high-school teachers participated in the study. One hundred and nineteen participants (31%) started breastfeeding their children within one hour of delivery, while exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was reported only by 32 (8.3%) participants. Insufficient breast milk and work related problems were the main reasons given by 169 (44%) and 148 (38.5%) of participants, respectively, for stopping breastfeeding before two years. Only 33 participants (8.6%) had attended classes related to breastfeeding. However, 261 participants (68%) indicated the willingness to attend such classes, if available, in future pregnancies.ConclusionsThis study revealed that breast milk insufficiency and adverse work related issues were the main reasons for a very low rate of exclusive breastfeeding among female school teachers in Abha female educational district, Saudi Arabia. A very low rate of attending classes addressing the breastfeeding issues during pregnancy, and an alarming finding of a high percentage of babies receiving readymade liquid formula while still in hospital, were also brought out by the present study. Such findings, if addressed comprehensively by health care providers and decision-makers, will lead to the improvement of breastfeeding practices in the study community.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practice among school teachers in Abha female educational district, southwestern Saudi Arabia

Al-Binali

2012

Int Breastfeed J

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“…7,[9][10] Further obstacles include lack of awareness and information regarding the benefits of breastfeeding on the part of health professionals, employers, families, and the public. 11 Women are able to identify the essential requirements for successful breastfeeding while working outside the home. These include efficient hand expression and/or availability of a "good" breast pump; child care by a trusted person or agency; support from significant others; time during the workday to express breast milk; provision of a safe, private, clean physical space; and clean, refrigerated storage space.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Breast Milk Expression in the Workplace: A Look at Frequency and Time

Slusser¹,

Lange²,

Dickson

et al. 2004

J Hum Lact

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The objective of this article is to study a barrier for breastfeeding women working full-time outside the home: breast milk expression in the workplace. Data are from a large corporation that provides employee benefits. Mothers express breast milk about twice a day when infants are 4 months old (x = 2.2 +/- 0.8) and 6 months old (x = 1.9 +/- 0.6), with a significant decline in frequency (P <.05) comparing the 2 age groups. Most mothers spend 1 hour or less expressing breast milk when infants are 3 (82%) or 6 months old (96%), with a significant difference (P <.05) between the 2 age groups. Mothers of younger infants were no more likely to work fewer days per week than were mothers of older infants. Most women can express breast milk for 3- and 6-month-old infants in less than an hour, distributed in about 2 separate portions, in an employment environment supportive of breastfeeding.

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“…Numerous studies have found that employment is a frequently cited barrier to breastfeeding (Barber-Madden, Petscheck, & Parker, 1987;James, 2004;Raju, 2006;Roe et aI., 1999). However, mothers who continue to breastfeed while working report fewer lost workdays due to infant illnesses (Cohen, Mrtek, & Mrtek, 1995), even if the infant is in daycare (Visness, Kennedy, & Labbok, 1995).…”

Section: Workplace Attitudes Perceptions and Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes of Managers, Coworkers, and Employed Breastfeeding Mothers

Stewart-Glenn¹

2008

AAOHN Journal

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Employer attitudes and practices toward breastfeeding mothers are discouraging overall. Mothers who believe that breastfeeding whileemployed cannot be done withouta considerable amount of additional work and stress may not even consider breastfeeding. Although it is known that lower income women tend not to breastfeed while employed, the relationship between type of employment and sustaining breastfeeding has not been clearly explained. Manywomen identifyemployment as a barrier to breastfeeding. Some elements of a workplace environment supportive of breastfeeding have been identified, including private space witha lockingdoor (other than a bathroom stall), time to express milk at work, and adequate refrigeration.ln relation to employers, monetary reasons (Le.. decreased productivity) are most frequently cited for not supporting breastfeeding. Only a small percentage of the research on employed breastfeeding mothers has focused on the workplace. Further research is needed to determine how breastfeeding can be beneficial to the mother, the infant, and the employer.

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Breastfeeding and the Working Mother: Barriers and Intervention Strategies

Cited by 47 publications

References 4 publications

Breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practice among school teachers in Abha female educational district, southwestern Saudi Arabia

Breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practice among school teachers in Abha female educational district, southwestern Saudi Arabia

Breast Milk Expression in the Workplace: A Look at Frequency and Time

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes of Managers, Coworkers, and Employed Breastfeeding Mothers

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