Breastfeeding has important health consequences, not only for infants, but also for mothers (Victora et al., 2016). However, many mothers stop breastfeeding before the advised six month period. Research indicates that difficulties associated with combining work and breastfeeding are an important reason for mothers to discontinue breastfeeding prematurely (Peeters, Lanting, & Van Wouwe, 2015). One important issue in this respect seems to be that in many organizations a lactation room is either lacking or of poor quality. This study examines the relationship between objective and subjective lactation room quality, mood, relaxation, and behavioral determinants of pumping milk at work: attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control and intention.First, an observation list was developed and pre-tested to determine objective lactation room quality. Then, 511 lactating women completed a questionnaire that included questions about objective and subjective lactation room quality, mood, relaxation, attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control and intention towards pumping milk at work. Regression analyses showed that both objective and subjective lactation room quality is positively related to mood, relaxation, social norms and perceived behavioral control towards pumping milk at work. Notably mothers’ subjective experience of the room mediated the relationships between objective lactation room quality and mood, relaxation, and social norms and perceived behavioral control. The results of this study show that lactation room quality can potentially impact the process of pumping milk at work in important ways. It is important to further explore the causality of this relationship and its potential effects in experimental settings.
Research has shown that breastfeeding has important long-term health effects on both children and mothers. The World Health Organization therefore recommends that children be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and that breastfeeding be continued thereafter, alongside complementary feeding, until children are at least two years old. However, many mothers experience problems with breastfeeding and stop earlier than they would like. One of the reasons that women stop prematurely is the often difficult combination of breastfeeding and work. In this dissertation Van Dellen studied what organizations can do to support breastfeeding employees, both before the return to work and in the period afterwards.Before the return to work, a breastfeeding support programma appears to be an effective way to support mothers. Within the programme, women received structural support from a lactation consultant, from pregnancy until ten weeks after birth. Mothers who received the support programme were on average 66% less likely to stop breastfeeding compared to mothers who did not receive support. After the return to work, the quality of lactation rooms appears to play an important role. Lactation room quality is positively related to satisfaction, perceived ease, and perceived support for milk expression at work. Moreover, experimental research found that mothers in a high-quality lactation room experienced less stress, more control, and more well-being than mothers in a low-quality lactation room.The results of the study show that organizations can better support breastfeeding employees by offering structural support from a lactation consultant and high-quality lactation rooms.
In the Netherlands 75% of the mothers start breastfeeding their infants.After 1 month this is 46% (CBS 2012). International guidelines (WHO)recommend that mothers should breastfeed until 6 months. In this study- that is part of a larger Dutch study on mothers’ decisions to stop or tocontinue breastfeeding - we focus on mothers’ breastfeeding knowledge.
Borstvoeding heeft belangrijke gezondheidseffecten, voor zowel kinderen als moeders. Een halve eeuw geleden vond borstvoeding bijna nooit tegelijk met werk plaats aangezien vrouwen stopten met werken als ze trouwden, maar tegenwoordig werken moeders vaak door. Daarom is het belangrijk om te onderzoeken hoe de combinatie van arbeid en borstvoeding het best kan worden gefaciliteerd. Uit recent onderzoek blijkt namelijk dat de combinatie van werken en borstvoeding één van de belangrijkste redenen is om vroegtijdig te stoppen met borstvoeding. De gebouwde omgeving, in de vorm van kolfkamers, is belangrijk om de combinatie van borstvoeding en werken zo goed mogelijk te ondersteunen. Op dit moment ontbreekt echter kennis over de invloed van de gebouwde omgeving op vrouwen die borstvoeding geven en/of kolven op het werk: dit is dan ook de focus van het huidige promotieonderzoek.
