Maternal Labor, Breast-Feeding, and Infant Health

Abstract

© 2003 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Reconciling the rights and demands of women's productive and reproductive roles poses an increasing challenge to policy formulation. This chapter reviews existing evidence on the benefits of breast-feeding for mothers and infants, global breast-feeding prevalence and trends, and the associations between breast-feeding and maternal employment. It presents a study of the experiences of working mothers in Thailand, with a focus on the effects of employment on breast-feeding and women's perceptions of themselves as they attempt to balance their roles. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study for current international discourse and public policy relating women's dual employment and child-rearing responsibilities.