Studies Find Maternity Leave Before, After Birth Improves Health Of Infants, Women

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 12 Jan 2009 - 2:00 PST

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Two new studies from University of California-Berkeley researchers found that pre-birth maternity leave and longer post-birth maternity leave are associated with better health for both infants and women, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The first study -- funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and published in Women's Health Issues -- is the first study to assess birth outcomes among women who work full time, according to the Chronicle. The study assessed 447 Southern California women who work full time, comparing women who took leave after 35 weeks' gestation with those who worked up until the time of their delivery date. Researchers found that women who worked up to the time of their delivery date were four times more likely to have a caesarean section, which can lead to complications and a longer recovery period for women, according to lead author Sylvia Guendelman, professor of maternal and child health at the university.

Guendelman said, "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." Researchers noted that financial obstacles can deter women from taking pre-birth maternity leave because many women do not receive full-time pay while on leave.

The second study, published in Pediatrics, examined data from 770 women who work full time, finding that women who took less than six weeks of maternity leave were four times less likely to breastfeed. The American Academy of Pediatrics and numerous studies recommend breastfeeding, which is associated with a reduced risk of allergies, obesity and sudden infant death syndrome in infants. The study also found that women in managerial positions or those who had more autonomy or flexibility at work were more likely to breastfeed. Guendelman said, "What we're trying to say is that taking maternity leave may make good health sense as well as good economic sense." She added, "These new studies suggest that making it feasible for more working [women] to take maternity leave both before and after birth is a smart investment" (Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/8).

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