Differing Experiences with Breastfeeding in Residency Between Mothers and Coresidents

Returning to work and lack of support for expressing breast milk (pumping) at work is often cited as a reason that mothers discontinue breastfeeding, particularly among female physicians. It is unclear how these perceived difficulties affect resident mothers and how resident teams perceive coresidents who choose to pump at work. The goal of this study was to identify differences in perception of resident mothers and their coresidents about breastfeeding residents pumping. An online survey in 2017 was sent to 413 residents in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Anesthesia at the University of Michigan Health System. A total of 82 residents completed the survey (20% response rate). Resident mothers (15% of respondents self-identified as a mother) were asked specific questions regarding their experiences with breastfeeding. Almost all mothers (92%) encountered difficulty in breastfeeding after returning to work. The majority of mothers reported that their mood was affected by these difficulties (85%). The most common challenge that breastfeeding residents encountered was not enough time to pump. The majority of all residents surveyed (74%) have worked with a breastfeeding resident. Forty percent of breastfeeding residents felt that their pumping adversely affected the team, whereas only 10% of coresidents felt the same. Breastfeeding residents encountered significant difficulties that affected their well-being when breastfeeding while returning to work. They also felt that their pumping can be detrimental to their job. However, their coresidents felt that pumping had no major setbacks to team efficiency or patient care and did not create additional work.