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Proper work breaks before and after giving birth benefit women and their babies, two new research papers suggest. Women who stop working at least a month before their babies are due are four times less likely to have a caesarean delivery because they are less tired and anxious, a study of 400 women led by Dr Sylvia Guendelman from the University of California found. The findings appear to support those of earlier research, the team said. Previous studies have shown that women who get less than six hours' sleep a night are more likely to choose or accept instructions to have a caesarean, while those who experience “occupational strain” report higher levels of swollen hands and legs and pre-eclampsia, which often leads to surgical intervention. A second study led by Dr Guendelman found that women who took less than six weeks off work after giving birth were four times more likely to be unsuccessful in establishing a breastfeeding routine, while those who took less than 12 weeks off were twice as likely as other mothers to fail. More than four in five (82 per cent) of the 770 women in the study had a breastfeeding routine, but 23 per cent stopped in the month before returning to work, 29 per cent during the first month after returning and another 20 per cent in the second month. Source: TUC Changing Times
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