I have just read with interest the posts on maternity leave and breastfeeding . For those who are interested and want further references I have published quite a few articles on this issue to which I can supply links.

The journal Social Science & Medicine is also very soon to publish an article that I have recently written on this issue. This article compares the US position on breastfeeding and women's employment with the situation in both Ireland and Sweden as these two countries offer very different perspectives on this issue. The former has relatively low breastfeeding rates as well as low rates of women's employment (although both of these are on the increase). By contrast, Sweden has high rates of both (although most mothers still take an extended period of maternity/parental leave following childbirth and use it to breastfeed as well as to bond with their infants). In this article, I also examine the economic incentives in each country affecting women's decisions regarding resumption of employment, including those related to childcare subsidies and whether leave is paid or not. These, in conjunction with other practices related to maternity settings and regaulation of formula marketing, have implications for breastfeeding practice in each context.

I have recently returned to New Zealand from a stint as a research fellow at Cornell university. My US experience has convinced me that many advocates and supporters of breastfeeding continue to overlook the importance of a period of paid parental leave for breastfeeding. I recognize however that this is much longer term policy goal than many workplace/employer based solutions . Yet, it is worth noting that a growing body of research indicates that longer leaves (including the economic ability to take them) support longer durations of breastfeeding.

Judith Galtry

From windy Wellington



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