(BEHS Section Number)
This Lot in Life is true for me
12, Main Street, Maryland
Dear Amanda,
Hope you and your 1-year-old baby are doing well. I just wanted share some great news with you- I am expecting my first child and am in the fourth month of pregnancy. As over the moon as me and my husband are, what is keeping me grounded is the morning sickness. Ouch! Now I understand how exciting and at the same time tough pregnancy can be and I wonder how you went through it all so smoothly just last year. I am also confused about one very important thing about having a baby- breastfeeding and working simultaneously. I know a lot has been said about how crucial it is to breastfeed your baby at least for the first six months and I would genuinely like to give the best of everything to my little one. But, I am worried that if I breastfeed my child, I may not be able to get back to work soon enough. I did enquire at my workplace and found out that I am entitled to 2 months of maternity leave. But, how will I breastfeed my baby after the first two months?
I am certain that I will breastfeed my baby because I understand that breast milk is the best milk for an infant. Moreover, breastfeeding is good for the mother too. But, I am not sure about how I will balance breastfeeding and working after the first two months. I am considering using breast milk pumps and joining a breastfeeding support agency for this. Experienced as you are, if you have any suggestions on how I should manage breastfeeding and working, please do share them with me for I am very eager to strike that perfect balance between both.
Sincerely,
Importance of Breastfeeding
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Primary Physicians, and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after the delivery of an infant (Stuebe, 2009). This is because research has repeatedly shown that breast milk and breastfeeding greatly benefit the health of the infant and the mother.
Breast milk is the best milk for an infant because it is naturally formulated to fulfill the child’s nutrient requirements and suits his still-developing digestive abilities. Breast milk has a very good amino acid profile, adequate amounts of probiotics that boost the digestive health of the infant, and contains high amounts of fats, particularly the omega-3 fatty acids that promote brain and adipose tissue development in infants, and influence glucose metabolism positively during adulthood (Gale et al., 2012). Moreover, human milk composition undergoes changes depending on the time of the day and month to adapt to the growing requirements of the infant. Importantly, breast milk contains immune-boosting factors that enhance immune response of the infants to vaccination and reduce their risk of autoimmune disorders as adults. These factors also protect infants from ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and type 1 diabetes (Jackson and Nazar, 2006).
In addition, breastfeeding allows infants to initiate and end their sittings of feedings on their own thereby permitting them to regulate their intake of food themselves (Gale et al., 2012). The practice also makes it possible for infants to wake up more easily from sleep. This is particularly true for infants between the ages of 2 and 3 months, when the risk of mortality due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is high (WebMD, 2011).
Breastfeeding benefits mothers because it is very convenient- the practice can be done at anytime and at anywhere based on the baby’s demands. The mother does not have to worry about sterilizing the bottle regularly, preparing the formula milk, and warming it just before feeding, which makes breastfeeding quite appropriate when traveling. One significant advantage that breastfeeding mothers have is faster weight loss after delivery. Research has shown that breastfeeding helps in the mobilization of calories and excess adipose stores to promote quick loss of weight gained during gestation. Research has also demonstrated that the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes is lower in mothers who feed breast milk than in those who do not. Thus, as studies reveal, breastfeeding bestows long-term health benefits on women (Stuebe, 2009).
Balancing Breastfeeding and Working
While there can be no doubt that breastfeeding benefits the baby and the mother immensely, in the modern times when more and more women are employed, the practice has certainly become less prevalent, particularly for long durations. This is primarily because professional settings pose impediments to women who wish to continue breastfeeding even after returning to work (Murtagh and Moulton, 2011).
Research has revealed that mothers often opt for early weaning because their workplaces offer little privacy or time for the practice and hence are not conducive to breastfeeding. Another significant workplace barrier is a lack of interest in the practice shown by employers who feel that breastfeeding can potentially lower the productivity of their female employees. Interestingly, scientific investigations have also demonstrated that if women are provided with conditions that encourage breastfeeding, they are more likely to prolong the duration of the practice from 2 months to 1 year after returning to work. According to studies, some conditions at workplaces that encourage breastfeeding for longer durations include the provision to directly feeding breast milk to infants or pumping milk in a private area (Murtagh and Moulton, 2011).
Considering the importance of breastfeeding, government regulations have also been formulated to help women breastfeed or express milk at their workplaces. These regulations focus on providing maternal leave for up to several weeks after delivery so that the mother may concentrate exclusively on taking care of her new-born at home (Murtagh and Moulton, 2011), They also encourage the creation of facilities at the workplace where the woman may take rest during pregnancy and lactation, and make provisions for break times and a private, safe, and clean environment at the workplace where the woman can express milk (National Health Service, 2015).
Government organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that to make a smooth transition from breastfeeding at home to breastfeeding and working simultaneously, women should take leave for a minimum of six weeks to give themselves time to settle into a feeding routine. It is also recommended that women approach the breastfeeding support agencies to gain access to equipment required for expressing milk such as the breast pumps and other supplies. These organizations also suggest that women interact frequently with their employers regarding the breastfeeding schedule offered to them at the workplace so that it can be adjusted to best meet their individual requirements. Women are also advised to return to work as part-time employees initially or to work in shifts before they take up full-time responsibilities at their workplaces so that they can easily adjust to and better maintain the delicate balance between breastfeeding and working simultaneously (Office on Women’s Health, 2014).
Solutions to Breastfeeding and Working Simultaneously
One good way of breastfeeding and working simultaneously is to begin with exclusive breastfeeding of the baby at home by utilizing the maternity leave given by the workplace. When returning to work, the mother must inform her employer that she is lactating. Thereafter, she can breastfeed the baby directly during the break times provided by the workplace. For this, it is best that she enroll her infant in a child care center close to her workplace. Alternatively, the mother can express milk by hand or using breast pumps, and have a caregiver feed the expressed milk to the baby at home (National Health Service, 2015).
It would also be useful for the mother to join a breastfeeding support agency. One such in Gaithersburg, Maryland is Adventist Health Care that conducts classes once a week for a duration of 1 ½ hours. The classes conducted by the certified lactation consultants offer support by way of help with beginning breastfeeding within one hour after delivery, maintaining breastfeeding even when the mother is away from her baby, and provision of tools such as breast pumps on rentals. The program costs just $10 and is free for those who deliver at the hospital. The center also demonstrates the use of breast pumps at no additional charge. The center can be contacted online at the Shadygrovebaby.com website (Maryland Breastfeeding Coalition, 2016).
Similarly, certified lactation consultants at the Holy Cross Resource Center in this area teach mothers breastfeeding techniques through free classes held once every month. Registration via the phone number given on the website is required for attending the classes. Electric breast pumps are provided on a rental basis at the Holy Cross and Holy Germantown Hospitals (Holy Cross Health, 2016). Thus, these breastfeeding support centers make it possible for mothers to conveniently breastfeed and return to work at the end of their maternity leave period.
References
Gale, Chris, Logan, Karen M., Santhakumaran, Shalini, Parkinson, James RC., Hyde, Matthew J., & Modi Neena. (2012). Effect of breastfeeding compared with formula feeding on infant body composition: A systemic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(3), 656-659. Retrieved from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2012/01/30/ajcn.111.027284.full.pdf.
Holy Cross Health. (2016). Breast-feeding. Retrieved from http://www.holycrosshealth.org/breastfeeding.
Jackson, Kelly M., & Nazar, Andrea M. (2006) Breastfeeding, the immune response, and long-term health. The Journal of American Osteopathic Association, 106(4), 203- 207. Retrieved from http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2093315.
Maryland Breastfeeding Coalition. (2016). Maryland breastfeeding support and information by county. Retrieved from http://www.marylandbreastfeedingcoalition.org/ResourceGuide-CountyContacts.php.
Murtagh, L. & Moulton, A. D. (2011). Working mothers, breastfeeding, and the law. American Journal of Public Health, 101(2), 217-223. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3020209/
National Health Service. (2015). Breastfeeding and going back to work. Retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/breastfeeding-back-to-work.aspx.
Stuebe, Alison. (2009). The risks of not breastfeeding for mother and infants. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2(4), 222- 231. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2812877/.
WebMD. (2011). Breastfeeding May Cut SIDS Risk. Retrieved from. http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20110613/breastfeeding-cuts-sids-risk.
Office on Women’s Health. (2014). Breastfeeding and going back to work. Retrieved from http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/going-back-to-work.html.
