Maternity leave results in fewer C-sections and increased breastfeeding

As a Canadian, it always astounds me how little maternity leave women in the United States get. Even the leave I got 20 years ago was much more generous than what many American women get now.

There’s a big push *not* to increase maternity benefits from many people who feel that they shouldn’t bear the cost of your children, they managed well without it so why should you get it, and many other similar lines of thought. But, many are fighting back with arguments that show maternity leave is of benefit to everyone.

The newest finding about maternity leave after giving birth has found that it can result in lower rates of Cesarean sections (C sections) and increased levels of breastfeeding – both actions that are often the best choices for babies and the mothers.

According to a press release issued by the University of California at Berkeley about two recent studies said:

One study found that women who started their leave in the last month of pregnancy were less likely to have cesarean deliveries, while another found that new mothers were more likely to establish breastfeeding the longer they delayed their return to work.

The study on the use of antenatal leave – time off before delivery with the expectation of returning to the employer after giving birth – and the rate of C-sections is the first examination of birth outcomes in U.S. working women, the researchers said. It will appear in the January/February print edition of the journal Women’s Health Issues.

I tend to really believe that finding. I took five weeks off before my oldest son was born. I hadn’t planned on it, but I was working at a school for physically disabled children and we hit March break when I was about 36 weeks pregnant. I didn’t want to take a week off, go back for just a few weeks and then take off, so I treated myself to four weeks – which turned into five because he was late. And I still remember how relaxing it was and how much I treasured those five weeks all to myself.

I remember saying that no matter what happens in life, I’ll never be able to have that time to pamper myself again and enjoy being pregnant at the same time. And I did enjoy being pregnant.

The second study, on maternity leave and breastfeeding was also addressed in the press release:

In this study, women who had returned to work by the time of the interview took on average 10.3 weeks of maternity leave. Overall, 82 percent of mothers established breastfeeding within the first month after their babies were born. Among women who established breastfeeding, 65 percent were still breastfeeding at the time of the interview.

Researchers found that women who took less than six weeks of maternity leave had a four-fold greater risk of failure to establish breastfeeding compared with women who were still on maternity leave at the time of the interview. Women who took six to 12 weeks of maternity leave had a two-fold greater risk of failing to establish breastfeeding.

Having a managerial position or a job with autonomy and a flexible work schedule was linked with longer breastfeeding duration in the study. After 30 days, managers had a 40 percent lower chance of stopping breastfeeding, while those with an inflexible work schedule had a 50 percent higher chance of stopping.

Overall, the study found that returning to work within 12 weeks of delivery had a greater impact on breastfeeding establishment for women in non-managerial positions, with inflexible jobs or who reported high psychosocial distress, including serious arguments with a spouse or partner and unusual money problems.

"The findings suggest that if a woman postpones her return to work, she’ll increase her chances of breastfeeding success, especially if she’s got a job where she’s on the clock and has less discretion with her time," said Guendelman. "Also, women who are in jobs where they have more authority may feel more empowered with how they use their time."

What do you think?

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Tags: pregnancy blog, breast feeding, breastfeeding, maternity leave, antenatal leave, cesarean sections, c sections