Calls to improve access to breastfeeding in the workplace

Calls to improve access to breastfeeding in the workplace

The New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority (NZBA) is calling for stronger workplace policies for nursing mothers as part of World Breastfeeding Week this week (August 1-7).

NZBA executive officer Julie Stufkens says this year’s theme of Breastfeeding and Work: Let’s Make it Work emphasises the importance of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding in the workplace.

“Whether a woman is working in a formal, non-formal or home setting, it is necessary that she is well-supported in claiming her and her baby’s right to breastfeed,” Stufkens says.

Wellington artist Deborah Barton (who was born and raised in Blenheim), and her husband Andrew Ross support any initiatives that make it easier for woman to continue breastfeeding in the workplace.

Barton, a mother of two boys, Rowland aged three and Sidney aged five months, says her decision to return to the workforce full time would be influenced by breastfeeding facilities in the workplace.

“If my baby was being breastfed and I had to return to work and there were no appropriate places for me to breastfeed, I would find it a hard call to work full time,” she says.

Stufkens says: “Many mothers who return to work abandon breastfeeding partially or completely because they do not have sufficient time, or a place to breastfeed, express and store their milk. Creating conditions at work such as paid maternity leave, part-time work arrangements and improved onsite facilities can help”.

The NZBA is urging all politicians to support Labour MP Sue Moroney’s private member’s bill to extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks. This is the second time in just over three years the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill has been drawn.

“The government’s addition of another two weeks paid parental leave is a start, but we cannot ignore the benefits to our society of babies being exclusively breastfed up to six months,” says Stufkens. “Our paid parental leave scheme is not on par with other developed countries.”

The additional two weeks of paid parental leave took effect on 1 April 2015 increasing the allocation from 14 to 16 weeks. It will then increase to 18 weeks by 1 April 2016.

“Treasury has reported that the cost of extending paid parental leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks would cost $270 million over three years. However the government has already committed $141 million over the next four years to increase the leave to 18 weeks, so the cost differential is $121 million. The savings in childhood healthcare would make this a sound investment,” says Stufkens.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there is significant evidence internationally that breastfeeding contributes positively to infant and maternal health.

“Breast milk plays a critical role in improving a baby’s immunity and promoting a lifetime of good health. Breastfed babies are less likely to be overweight or obese as adults and are less likely to develop cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” says Stufkens.

Recently the WHO publicly acknowledged New Zealand as a world leader for its successful initiatives designed to support breastfeeding mothers in hospitals.

In line with WHO/UNICEF ‘Baby-friendly’ Hospital Initiative (BFHI), launched in 1991, all of New Zealand’s maternal facilities are required to achieve and maintain baby-friendly accreditation – currently 96 percent do. However Stufkens says once mothers leave hospital, the nation’s breastfeeding rates decline dramatically.

“Our numbers fall sharply from 82 percent of mothers’ exclusively breastfeeding while they are in hospital, to 49 percent six weeks after birth and then a low 16.7 percent at six months,” she says.

“The aim of the NZBA is to see breastfeeding become the cultural norm in New Zealand for mothers who can breastfeed. Our focus is on improving rates among Maori and Pacifica women who often have a lower breastfeeding rate than the overall population. We are working with District Health Boards and other health professionals to support women to continue breastfeeding once they go back to work.”

Auckland has the highest overall breastfeeding rates with more than 72.8 percent of women continuing to breastfeed (exclusive, full or partial) at six months. The Capital & Coast (70.2 percent), Wairarapa (69.6 percent) and Waitemata (69.1 percent) all maintained strong breastfeeding rates at six months, according to the Well Child Plunket data comparing New Zealand breastfeeding rates by district.

Counties Manukau has often had the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country, but rates have improved significantly. The West Coast now has the lowest rates for any breastfeeding (exclusive, full or partial) at six months after dropping from 62 percent in 2008 to a national low of 53.6 percent in 2013/14. However health professionals are working with local providers to improve these figures.

The Hutt Valley, Mid Central and Southland all have low breastfeeding rates at six weeks, three and six months however each district is showing signs of improvement.

The Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Hutt, Lakes, Nelson, Tairawhiti, Wairarapa, Waitemata and the West Coast have reported a decline in Maori women breastfeeding at six months.

Meanwhile Pacifica breastfeeding rates have dropped significantly (by more than 10 percent) at six months in a number of DHB areas: Bay of Plenty, Otago, Southland, Tairawhiti, Taranaki, Wairarapa and the West Coast.

Globally, less than 40 percent of infants aged under six months are exclusively breastfed.

Stufkens says the decision to breastfeed is strongly influenced by social norms and the beliefs and values of women and their significant others.

The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months as “the optimal way of feeding infants”. Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods (solids) with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond.

Stufkens says New Zealand’s next challenge is to help mothers continue breastfeeding.

“A big part of the post-hospital breastfeeding decline is a direct result of women feeling alienated about breastfeeding in the workplace and in public places. As a society we need to ensure women have access to ongoing support, that communities are consulted to establish the right facilities and services, and that health workers are educated to understand cultural issues,” she says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media