Maternal Work and Infant Feeding Practices in the First 6 Months
Anna R Fiedor1, Sylvie Lauzon1, Supriya Dhaurali2
1Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal work and infant feeding practices and explore the moderating impact of parental stress.
Methods:
Prospective data on categorical hours worked and infant feeding practices were collected at 3 and 6 months postpartum in a prospective prenatal cohort of 95 women. Chi-square tests were used to compare change in proportion of exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months and maternal work status.
Results:
Rates of exclusive breastfeeding significantly decreased from birth to 6 months, while the percent of mothers working outside of the home significantly increased from 3 to 6 months. At 6 months, mothers who worked full time pumped significantly more than their non-working counterparts. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to test the prediction of exclusive breastfeeding by maternal work, including sociodemographic covariates, and the moderating impact of parental stress. Results indicated that maternal education, paternal education, and maternal work significantly predicted exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months. Full time work (OR = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.62) was associated with a decreased odds of exclusive breastfeeding. Additionally, higher maternal (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.97) and paternal (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.00, 1.66) education was associated with an increased odds of exclusive breastfeeding. Maternal stress did not predict exclusive breastfeeding, nor did it have a moderating effect on the relationship between maternal work and breastfeeding.
Conclusions For Practice:
Future studies should investigate maternal work in more diverse birthing populations to better understand how families can incorporate breastfeeding as a primary infant feeding practice.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Parental Care
Attachment
Imprinting
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the...


