Employed mothers’ breastfeeding: Exploring breastfeeding experience of employed mothers in different work environments in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: One of the most cost-effective interventions to enhance child health with the potential to reach families of all economic backgrounds is breastfeeding. Despite the many benefits optimal breastfeeding has, its practice is low due to various barriers among which maternal employment is mentioned repeatedly. Accordingly, this study has explored the experience of employed mothers with regards to breastfeeding, employment, and work environment in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A descriptive Phenomenology strategy was employed among 17 mothers drawn from different organizations, conveniently, that offer accommodation of six months maternity leave or onsite child care center or had only three months maternity leave. Data were collected through in-depth interviews until information saturation was reached. Recorded interviews were transcribed and translated and the information obtained was then organized and coded to generate overarching themes. Two themes on facilitators and barriers, and addressing barriers were generated after analysis. Mothers recognize the importance of breastfeeding for children but returning to work at three months is expressed as a major barrier to continuous breastfeeding. Mothers who have access to supporting conditions at their workplace expressed better breastfeeding practice and better satisfaction with their job. CONCLUSIONS: Providing employed mothers with a supporting environment helps them work with better stability, motivation, and satisfaction. This however requires a suitable accommodation with a focus on the different kinds of work environments of the mothers and the different risks related to each respective environment via scaling up and monitoring breastfeeding interventions and calling upon institutions to remove structural and societal barriers to breastfeeding.