Current Status Of Breastfeeding And Experience Of Breastfeeding Support Of Full-time Employed Women: A Mixed Method Study

Background: World Health Organization(WHO)recommend infants should be breastfed exclusively to 6 months,and breastfed to two years old or beyond.The rate of breastfeeding has not yet reached the expected goals with vigorous promotion of breastfeeding.One of the most important reasons is returning to work after childbirth.Some employed women stopped breastfeeding after returning to work due to the conflict between work and breastfeeding.Comprehensive breastfeeding support,including maternity leave,breastfeeding breaks,flexible work schedules,support from colleagues and supervisors,and facilities such as lactation rooms in the workplace,can help full-time employed women to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.So far,few studies focused on the current status of breastfeeding and experience of breastfeeding support of full-time employed women in China.Purposes: The purposes of the present study are to investigate the current status of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support of full-time employed women in China,to know the factors influencing breastfeeding of full-time employed women,to discuss the breastfeeding experience of full-time employed women,and to explore the demand for breastfeeding support in the workplace.Methods: A mixed method research combining quantitative research and qualitative research was used.A cross-sectional survey involving 1316 full-time employed women was conducted in China.Workplace Breastfeeding Support Scale(WBSS)was used to measure the status of breastfeeding support in the workplace in quantitative research.The multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencingbreastfeeding.Semi-structured interview are used in qualitative research.Nine full-time employed women who returning to full-time work after childbirth with exclusive breastfeeding were interviewed by face to face.Results: Quantitative part: 1)In the present study,the duration of exclusive breastfeeding of full-time employed women was(5.71±0.52)months and the duration of breastfeeding was(9.83±1.52)months.2)The length of maternity leave was inconsistent in every province of our country.The mean length of maternity leave in the study was(5.25±0.80)months.Luckily,all of the companies in the study had 1-h breastfeeding break every day for 1 year after delivery.The total score of WBSS was(46.64±5.34),which indicated that the support and facilities for breastfeeding in the workplace were not perfect.We observed that the lower scores in WBSS were assigned to technical support in the workplace.Employed women did not have access to a refrigerator to store their expressed breast milk [M(SD)= 1.98(1.54)] or to a breast pump [M(SD)=(1.70(1.70)]in the workplace.Similarly,a space to express milk was indicated as lacking,due to unavailability [M(SD)= 1.36(0.95)].Coworker and supervisor support was not perceived as a problem,and the women felt that their coworkers [M(SD)= 4.76(0.95)]and and supervisors [M(SD)= 5.73(1.18)] were supportive.3)Han nationality,education level,maternity leave,the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and the total score of WBSS had positive effects on the duration of breastfeeding.Compared with employed women whose average monthly income per person of family was ? 3000,employed women whose average monthly income per person of family was 3001-5000 had a longer duration of breastfeeding.Compared with employed women whoseexclusive breastfeeding was stopped due to personal and work reasons,the duration of family of employed women with family reasons was shorter.In addition,the need for breastfeeding in the workplace had a negative effect on the duration of breastfeeding.Qualitative part: There were three main themes emerged from interviews: Breastfeeding experiences of full-time employed women,the feeling of breastfeeding policies and facilities in the workplace,and the strong demand for breastfeeding support in the workplace.Conclusion: The duration of exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding of full-time employed women in China have not reached the requirements of WHO.At the same time,the support and facilities for breastfeeding in the workplace were not perfect.In addition,the factors influencing breastfeeding duration of full-time employed women included education level,average monthly income per person of family,maternity leave,exclusive breast-feeding time,WBSS,reasons for stopping exclusive breastfeeding and the needs of breastfeeding in the workplace.All full-time employed women expressed they hoped for more breastfeeding support in the workplace.In order to improve the current situation in China,government should introduce policies to encourage employers providing breastfeeding-friendly work environment for employed women,and improve on maternity leave and breastfeeding breaks,and strengthen the support from supervisors and colleagues.