Experiences of breastfeeding among women residents in Alberta: a cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Breastfeeding at work is recommended by pediatric society guidelines and is protected by employment and human rights law in many countries. Despite this, previous studies have found that residents report important structural barriers to breastfeeding at work.

Method

We administered a cross-sectional, electronic, multicenter survey of all women residents in Alberta who were parents in 2017. The study aimed to characterize respondents’ experiences of breastfeeding, including duration, goals, barriers, and support from colleagues.

Results

There were 110 respondents, of whom 53 individuals had breastfed 83 children during residency. While nearly all felt that breastfeeding was important to them, only 69.2% reported meeting their breastfeeding duration goal. Surgical residents were less likely to meet their breastfeeding duration goal than residents in other disciplines (40.0% (n = 6/15) compared to 80.0% of non-surgical (n = 28/35) and 80.0% of family medicine residents (n = 12/15)). Residents reported stopping breastfeeding earlier than they desired due to lack of adequate space (48.7%, n = 19) and lack of time (57.1%, n = 24). Twelve participants (10.9%) reported hearing a derogatory comment from a staff physician about their breastfeeding.

Conclusions

Women residents face barriers to breastfeeding at work which require systems-level intervention. Residents from surgical programs may be the most vulnerable to these barriers. Program directors, residency wellness committees, and hospital administrators should prioritize addressing these barriers for women residents returning to work after maternity leave. Examples of interventions that may address these barriers include policies, designation of lactation spaces, and flexible return-to-work schedules.

KEYWORDS:

• Cross-sectional survey
• breastfeeding
• gender equity
• wellness
• residency

Declaration of Interest

There are no relevant funding disclosures or conflicts of interest for any of the authors.

Reviewer disclosures

The contents of the paper and the opinions expressed within are those of the authors, and it was the decision of the authors to submit the manuscript for publication.

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Previous Presentations: A portion of this work was presented at the 2018 Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists annual meeting as a poster presentation.

Additional information

Funding

This project was unfunded.