Breastfeeding continues for longer with mothers who have resources, says study
Posted on: 21/Apr/2016 10:08:15 AM
A recent German study has said that mothers who breastfeed longer, normally have more social and financial resources. The study was conducted by researchers at the Ulm University.
Say the researchers, Lower educated women were less likely to overcome these barriers as easily as those with higher education. If these barriers did not exist, we would have observed a similar improvement in breastfeeding patterns in the lower educated strata. One limitation of the study is that researchers lacked data on family attitudes about breastfeeding and any medical conditions that might have influenced how long women nursed.
A researcher ay the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not part of the study, said, The disparities might look different in the U.S., where a lack of paid family medical leave and differences in access to flexible work schedules might leave poor women with less support for breastfeeding than more affluent mothers. Continuing to breastfeed an infant is challenging when there is a lack of support - particularly for women with lower levels of education and income who may need to return to work as soon as possible after giving birth in order to financially support their family.
The same may not be in other countries. Says a researcher from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, who was also not involved in the study, Shifts in public policy or social norms in Germany also might not mirror what`s happened in other countries. What happened in Germany might be due to shifts in the German economy or in government policy with impacts on things like family income and women’s work.
Another researcher from the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville says, At the same time, a growing body of research suggests that women`s self-confidence and determination may also play a role in neutralising some of the negative impact of financial or social pressures that deter women from breastfeeding. The take-home message for women if they`re thinking about breastfeeding is do your homework. At this point, the burden is still really on the woman for breastfeeding to be successful. She needs to build a breastfeeding support system while still pregnant, identify people from her family and friend circle who are supportive, and learn as much as she can about breastfeeding.
