Mothers' and fathers' experiences of breastfeeding and returning to paid work after birth: A mixed-method study.

ABSTRACT: This mixed-method study explored the experiences of mothers and fathers combining breastfeeding with returning to paid employment after childbirth. Tasmanian State Service employees participated in an online survey and phone interviews. A total of 130 parents completed the survey, and 42 participated in 60-min phone interviews. The survey had more female respondents (109) than male (21), and only 4 of the 42 interviews were with fathers. The sample consisted mainly of professional women (84%) and men (16%), predominantly Australian-born (88%). Two-thirds of participants worked part-time (62%), taking either unpaid (52%) or paid leave (61%) within the first 12 months after birth. The majority (88%) preferred to breastfeed, with the mean age of the first formula feed being 4.1 months. A narr

SUBMITTER: Ayton J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11650032 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature