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Does Returning to Work After Childbirth Affect Breastfeeding Practices?

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Abstract

This study examines the effect of the timing and intensity of returning to work after childbirth on the probability of initiating breastfeeding and the number of weeks of breastfeeding. Data come from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). Baseline probit models and family-level fixed effects models indicate that returning to work within 3 months is associated with a reduction in the probability that the mother will initiate breastfeeding by 16–18%. Among those mothers who initiate breastfeeding, returning to work within 3 months is associated with a reduction in the length of breastfeeding of 4–5 weeks. We find less consistent evidence that working at least 35 h per week (among mothers who return to work within 3 months) detracts from breastfeeding. Future research is needed on understanding how employers can design policies and workplaces that support breastfeeding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research at Cambridge Health Alliance-Harvard Medical School , National Bureau of Economic Research, 120 Beacon St., 4th Floor, Somerville, MA, 02143, USA

    Pinka Chatterji

  2. Department of Health Policy & Management, Department of Economics, Department of International Health, Department of Ophthalmology, and School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Kevin D. Frick

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  1. Pinka Chatterji
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  2. Kevin D. Frick
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Correspondence to Pinka Chatterji.

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Chatterji, P., Frick, K.D. Does Returning to Work After Childbirth Affect Breastfeeding Practices?. Rev Econ Household 3, 315–335 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-005-3460-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-005-3460-4

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