New Studies on Timing and Extent of Maternity Leave Call for Expanded Access to Paid Leave

The current issue of Women's Health Issues has published an important study about the effects of paid leave and the timing of that leave on the health of women and their babies. The study, entitled Maternity Leave in the Ninth Month of Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes among Working Women found that women who took leave beginning in the 35th week of pregnancy were four times more likely to avoid a C-section birth than women who worked right up until going into labor. A second study, published in this month's issue of the journal, Pediatrics, and entitled Juggling Work and Breastfeeding: Effects of Breastfeeding and Occupational Characteristics, found that the longer the leave after birth (up to and beyond 12 weeks), the substantially greater likelihood that the woman would have established breastfeeding.
From the press release,

"In the public health field, we'd like to decrease the rate of C-sections (cesarean deliveries) and increase the rate of breastfeeding," said [Sylvia] Guendelman[, principal author of the studies and Professor of Maternal and Child Health at UC Berkeley School of Public Health]. "C-sections are really a costly procedure, leading to extended hospital stays and increased risks of complications from surgery, as well as longer recovery times for the mother. For babies, it is known that breastfeeding protects them from infection and may decrease the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), allergies and obesity. What we're trying to say here is that taking maternity leave may make good health sense, as well as good economic sense."
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According to the U.S. Census, among working women who had their first birth between 2001 and 2003, only 28 percent took leave from their jobs before giving birth while an additional 22 percent quit their jobs. Twenty-six percent of women took no leave before birth.

"We don't have a culture in the United States of taking rest before the birth of a child because there is an assumption that the real work comes after the baby is born," said Guendelman. "People forget that mothers need restoration before delivery. In other cultures, including Latino and Asian societies, women are really expected to rest in preparation for this major life event."

The authors added that financial need may also deter women from taking leave in the last month of pregnancy. Only five states - California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island - and the territory of Puerto Rico offer some form of paid pregnancy leave, and none offer full replacement of the woman's salary.

The American Association of Pediatrics suggests that increased breastfeading could decrease annual health costs in the U.S. by $3.6 billion and decreasing parental employee absenteeism. The AAP also suggests there might be a smaller environmental burden for disposal of formula cans and bottles and energy demands to produce and transport formula, but it seems those benefits might be offset for working women who express milk to be fed to their children by other caregivers, particularly those who use hospital grade electric breast pumps, which are said to be substantially more likely than other methods to ensure continued sufficient milk production.

Regardless of that, though, as the study authors noted, even just having leave benefits available from an employer is not enough unless the leave can be used. They suggested that employers should do more to signal that the use of maternity leave is perfectly acceptable and to make the leave economically feasible to take. "These new studies suggest that making it feasible for more working mothers to take maternity leave both before and after birth is a smart investment," said Guendelman.

MM