There’s been lots of talk in the media in the last week about breastfeeding – which is great to see! A lot of debate has focussed on the effect of paid maternity leave on the length of time a mother breastfeeds. It seems the rates of mums returning to work in the first year of their baby’s life is having a huge impact on the rates of breastfeeding.

With interest rates, mortgages and the cost of living high it is no wonder more mums are being forced to return to work earlier than they would like. Advocates of a paid maternity leave system believe 6 months leave for mums would greatly improve the rates of breastfeeding in Australia. Many health professionals believe 6 months is the minimum a baby should be breastfed for and the health benefits and savings for our children would be huge if this goal could be reached by more mums.

An interesting article Link between breastfeeding and low income also discusses this theme and examines a recent study by the Medical Journal of Australia that found “a startling discrepancy in breastfeeding rates between women on high incomes and those on low incomes”.

Study co-author Dr Amir said “Babies should be breastfed for six months and most low-income babies aren’t being breastfed for six months. [Women with lower incomes] need support. You’re a lot more constrained if you are under pressure to go back to work and less likely to be in an environment which is supportive of breastfeeding.”

Let’s hope the government starts listening….