Full-Time Work Status

It relies on persuasive tactics to ensure compliance. Being medical-based, it aims to reduce morbidity and reduce premature mortality and is conceptualised around the absence of disease. As midwives do not regard pregnancy and child-birth as states of ill-health, its validity in midwifery care must be questioned (Dunkley, 2000a). The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented (Appendix Two), however difficulties arise in making this information relevant and personal to each woman. Often, simply giving women ‘information’ makes little difference to them (Dunkley, 2000b).

America being one the most industrialized nations it is shocking to most to discover that it does not provide a more beneficial maternity leave when compared to its European counterparts. Not only is Europe leading the way for a lengthier leave of absence for new mothers, they also provide financial benefits to those families with newborns, to American society this is not considered a cultural norm, in fact it is even bizarre to some that having a child while in the work force would even be beneficial. Consequently, the difficulty in accessing a reasonable maternity leave in America creates long term effects on a child’s development.

The immediate and long-term benefits of breastfeeding have been demonstrated. Mothers are encouraged to begin breastfeeding immediately after delivery, however mothers choosing to breastfeed find numerous challenges once returning to work. There are not appropriate accommodations to support nursing mothers in the workplace. Although there are laws in place to support accommodations in the workplace these laws are not enforced and therefore it is virtually impossible for mothers to continue to breastfeed as a result of the significant barriers they face to effectively find suitable accommodations in the workplace. There needs to be a standard for enforcing these policies if the goal is to move toward encouraging all mothers to breastfeed throughout the first six months of life.

Borra, C., Iacovou, M., & Sevilla, A. (2015). New Evidence on Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: The Importance of Understanding Women 's Intentions. Maternal & Child Health Journal, 19(4), 897-907. doi:10.1007/s10995-014-1591-z

Roughly four-in-ten mothers say they have taken a significant amount of time off from work (39%) or reduced their work hours (42%) to care for a child or other family member. Roughly a quarter (27%) say they have quit work altogether to take care of these familial responsibilities...(Patten, 2015 [see figure 3]).

There is data to support the idea of a mother taking time off or a woman reducing her working hours to part-time will hurt her significantly in the career world. The reason for this sudden break in a woman’s career being motherhood. The most popular reason for working less hours is in a law firm is for a mother to take care of her child. Taking this additional time off decreases the chances of the mother receiving a partnership immensely. When doing this, the mother also risks the idea of herself being seen as “not serious about her career”, permanently damaging her chances of promotion at the private practice. However, mothers are no less likely than childless women to receive a

In Judith Stadtman Tuckers “The Least Worst Choice: Why Mothers Opt out of the Work Place” Judith Stadtman Tucker looks at why hard working, intelligent woman are choosing to leave their high end jobs to stay at home with their children. Judith Stadtman Tucker expresses her option that it is nearly impossible to work 40 hours a week, be available on your off hours as well as raise children. I fully agree with Judith Stadtman Tucker’s point of view that it is absurd to have to be at the mercy of your employer even in your off hours, nor less if you are attempting to create an emotional connection and successfully raise a child. It is no question that even in today’s modern society that it is assumed that woman are the best caregivers for young children. If you are put in a position where you have a child to raise, is it more appropriate to abandon your career or to emotionally abandon your child to a stranger or strangers and allow them to raise it? Judith Stadtman Tuckers argument against mothers having to choose between the joys of parenthood and the freedom of being able to work a career really speaks to me because it makes me consider what I want for my own future and what I would choose.

breastfeed agree that they feel a closer bond with their children after breastfeeding and are able to better understand their child’s wants (Newman and Pitman 14). In The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that breastfeeding can reduce risk of postpartum depression, a condition that affects 13 percent of mothers, causing them to be upset and even angry at their child for crying, as well as other serious symptoms that can affect the mother’s mental state (3). They also found that a

The origin of federal breastfeeding legislation is the 2011 revision of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). Section 207 (r) calls for employers with over 50 employees to provide reasonable break time and a private place (other than a bathroom) for women to express milk. This landmark legislation marks the first time that federal legislation providing workplace protection and support to breastfeeding women was enacted (Murtagh, 2011). Murtagh argues that while this piece of legislation is groundbreaking, it falls short in four main categories: only a portion of breastfeeding women are covered by the FMLA; the women who are not covered, such as unemployed and lower income, are already less likely to breastfeed; leave taken to express milk is unpaid; and FMLA leave can only be taken for a continuous period (p. 220).

Recently women’s rights and women’s equality in the workplace has come back to the fore as a topic for discussion in government agencies and the United Nations. Whilst this is a very important topic, when it comes to time off from work when a new child is born, women in the US have some provision, whereas men have none.

All mothers have a choice in how they decide to raise their family. In the hospital, the health care team is supposed to be there in support to protect and to educate their patient, help them in identifying their rights, and educating them with proper and abundant information. The dilemma I am exploring specifically relates to the postpartum floor at Kaiser Walnut Creek, which is the idea of breastfeeding versus formula feeding. According to Healthy People 2020 as cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2011, 81.9% of mothers breast-fed during the early postpartum period, 60.6% until 6 months, and 34.1% until 12 months. In addition to the increasing rate of breast-feeding, there are many benefits for the newborn, as well as the mother. The newborn will have passive immunity against infections, decreased rate of sudden infant death syndrome, reduced risk of allergies and asthma, and decreased incidence of diabetes mellitus and obesity later in the future. The mother will have easier postpartum weight loss and lessens bleeding, delayed fertility, and reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer. In addition, breast-feeding is convenient and cost effective (Ladewig,

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, mothers who return to work soon after the birth of a child are more likely to become depressed and are less healthy than mothers who do not, and one third of mothers end up in debt after childbirth due to having unpaid maternity leave. When a woman has access to paid leave after birth they are more

PICO Question: For pregnant women considering breastfeeding (P), does a prenatal breastfeeding course (I), as compared to not attending a prenatal breastfeeding course (C) affect the length of exclusive and successful breastfeeding (O)?

Prior to this interview, I had mostly thought about breastfeeding in terms of the benefits of breastfeeding to the baby and the controversy over how long a baby should be breastfed. I had not thought about the impact of breastfeeding to the mother and it was enlightening to learn about the mother’s experience. I also learnt that breastfeeding is a unique experience and never the same from one mother to another. My friend pointed out to me that while she had a great experience; some of her friends did not. Breastfeeding becomes even more challenging with postpartum depression, thrush and sever breast

Emma is an undergraduate student in the University of Sydney. She comes from a middle-class family. Her mother is a doctor and her father is a university professor. She is also a part-time waitress and earns around $300 per week. She rents a studio for herself to live in near the campus in the inner city area. She always wants to show others her best and she is single.