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The advantages of breastfeeding are now so well established that serious scholars no longer dispute them. What some American feminists do dispute, however, is the relationship between maternal employment and breastfeeding. Some American feminists assert that the low level of breastfeeding among employed American mothers is anomalous, a sorry reflection on the singular backwardness of the policies that American lawmakers and corporate executives have put in place. Two new studies — one from Greece and one from the Netherlands — indicate, however, that maternal employment creates a serious impediment for maternal breastfeeding in lands far from the United States. 

The authors of the Greek study — published in Acta Pædiatrica — begin by emphasizing that “breast milk is nutritionally and immunologically superior to any known substitute” and by citing the World Health Organization’s recommendation of “exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months as a global policy in order to achieve optimal maternal and infant health.” But when the Greek scholars look at data for 1,603 healthy women who delivered normal-weight babies in Athens in 2001, they find indications that maternal employment is preventing even initiation of breastfeeding. More specifically, they find that over half (56%) of the 62 women in the study who did not breastfeed at all in the hospital after giving birth were employed, while less than half of the 306 women who breastfed exclusively in the hospital (43%) were employed. Of the 1,117 women in the Greek study who departed from the WHO’s recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding by giving their newborn babies a combination of breast milk and formula while in the hospital, almost two thirds (61%) were employed. Commenting on their findings, the Greek scholars remark, “Employment is generally considered as a factor that has a negative impact on breastfeeding initiation.”

But it is the maintenance more than the initiation of breastfeeding that appears to be negatively affected by maternal employment in a Dutch study published in the same issue of Acta Pædiatrica as the Greek study. Analyzing national data for 9,133 Dutch infants under the age of seven months, the Dutch researchers find that although a very high percentage of employed Dutch mothers begin breastfeeding, relatively few continue it for even four months, two months short of the duration recommended by the WHO. The data for four-month-old infants indicate that “mothers who did not leave the house to work, or who had a less than part-time job (i.e. < 16h/wk) were more likely to mainly breastfeed their infant at 4 months compared to women who worked outside the house for more than 16 h/wk” (Odds Ratio of 1.57). Almost half (44%) of mothers with no job or less than a part-time job were still mainly breastfeeding their infant at four months compared to less than a third (29%) of mothers employed full-time. “Maternal job status,” observe the Dutch scholars, “is an important predictor for longer duration of breastfeeding.” 

In country after country, it appears clear that maternal employment means infants are denied the benefits of breastfeeding.

Source: Fani Pechlivani et al., “Prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding during hospital stay in the area of Athens, Greece,” and Caren I. Lanting, Jacobus P. Van Wouwe, and Sijmen A. Reijneveld, “Infant milk feeding practices in the Netherlands and associated factors,” Acta Pædiatrica 94 [2005]: 928-934; 935-942, reported in The Family in America, April 2006.

  While the benefits of breastfeeding are so clear, why does  our Federal Government continue to subsidise  long day care for infants  - some as young as three months?   (This policy is also supported by the Opposition  - Kim Beazley wants to build child care centres in schools).  Why not adopt the  proposal  by Alan Cadman, MP, that the child care rebate be replaced  with an increased Family Tax Benefit payment which is not means tested for children under five years?  This would give parents a real choice.  The majority of Australians believe that children under five years are better served by having a parent caring for them full time. 

   The Conservative government of Canada has successfully passed its first budget May 10, 2006 which included a plan to provide $100 a month to all children up to age 6.   Analysts have already commented  on the fairness of the program to those who used to get more (daycare users who got $10,000 per space and a $7,000 deduction) and those who used to get less (parents at home who got nothing)