Paid Maternity Leave and Breastfeeding Outcomes

• Published in: Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 233 - 239
• Main Authors: Mirkovic, Kelsey R., Perrine, Cria G., Scanlon, Kelley S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breastfeeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Childbirth; Confidence intervals; employment; Family leave; Female; Humans; Initiation; Logistic Models; Maternity & paternity leaves; Maternity leave; Mothers; Multivariate Analysis; National surveys; Odds Ratio; Parental Leave - economics; Parental Leave - statistics & numerical data; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Time Factors; United States; Women; Women, Working - statistics & numerical data; Working women; Young Adult; United States > US; initiation; breastfeeding; employment
• ISSN: 0730-7659; 1523-536X
• DOI: 10.1111/birt.12230

Background Despite the benefits of breastfeeding, rates in the United States are low. Shorter maternity leave is associated with lower initiation and shorter durations of breastfeeding; however, little is known about how paid maternity leave may influence breastfeeding rates. Methods We used data from the 2006–2010 U.S. National Survey of Family Growth on the most recent birth to employed women who delivered a child within the previous 5 years. Separate multivariable logistic regression models were used to describe the associations between paid leave duration (0, 1–5, 6–11, ≥ 12 weeks, maternity leave not taken) and three outcomes: 1) breastfeeding initiation, 2) 6‐month duration, and 3) 6‐month duration among initiators. Results Twenty‐eight percent of prenatally employed women received no paid leave. Women who received 12 or more weeks of paid leave were more likely to initiate breastfeeding compared to women with no paid leave (87.3% vs 66.7%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.83 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.23–6.48]). Similarly, women with 12 or more weeks of paid leave were more likely to breastfeed at 6 months, compared to women with no paid leave (24.9% vs 50.1%, aOR 2.26 [95% CI 1.20–4.26]). Among women who initiated breastfeeding, having received 12 or more weeks' paid leave increased the odds of breastfeeding for 6 or more months; however, the association was not statistically significant in the adjusted model (aOR 1.81 [95% CI 0.93–3.52]). Conclusions Employed women who received 12 or more weeks of paid maternity leave were more likely to initiate breastfeeding and be breastfeeding their child at 6 months than those without paid leave.