WORKPLACE POLICIES FOR EFFECTIVE BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES AMONG WORKING MOTHERS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The first childcare normally provided by mothers after birth is breastfeeding. Due to hard economic conditions, breastfeeding mothers have taken up employment in both public and private establishments. They face the huge challenge of bridging the gap between effectively breastfeeding their babies and discharging their functions at work. Consequently, there is the need to formulate workplace policies that will ensure the mothers effectively breastfeed their children. Family-friendly policies have been discussed. Workplace supports for effective breastfeeding practices has also been discussed. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months after childbirth has been advocated. However, mothers’ perception and knowledge influence their breastfeeding practices. Several studies have found that working mothers quickly discontinue exclusive breast feeding, especially when the maternity leave is over. This has been attributed to challenges such as lack of cooperation from colleagues and superiors, lack of support from family members, and lack of managerial breastfeeding support. Other challenges the working mothers face include poor family income which forces them to take on low paying jobs, and working long hours which makes the mothers not to effectively breastfeed their children. The paper has recommended among others, that employers in both private and public sectors need to provide adequate facilities for breastfeeding mothers, and laws and policies regarding breastfeeding need to be reviewed to give room for working mothers to adequately and effectively breastfeed their children.