Breastfeeding, work and women's health among Thai women in Chiang Mai

• Main Author: Yimyam S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3502482; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/4377
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Reconciling the conflicting rights and demands of women's productive and reproductive roles poses an increasing challenge to health policy formulation. This article derives from a combined qualitative and quantitative study conducted in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It discusses situations and difficulties relevant to the health of employed women who breastfed their infants. Three hundred and thirteen employed women were interviewed to explore their experiences as mothers, particularly their attempts to balance the demands of work and breastfeeding. The findings demonstrate the stresses and conflicts in combining breastfeeding with work that can affect both physical and emotional health. Some women developed negative feelings. Exhaustion or fatigue, lack of self care and not eating properly were the common physical problems reported by women in this study.