Breastfeeding Practices Among Resident Physicians

Objective: To determine how employment as a resident physician (resident) affects breastfeeding practices and experiences.

Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey.

Setting: US resident physicians in the second half of their postgraduate year three (PGY3).

Participants: 1500 questionnaires were mailed at random to female 1990 graduates of American medical schools. After eliminating unusable surveys, an adjusted response rate of 45% produced 450 surveys; 60 delivered a child during residency.

Interventions: None. MEASUREMENT/MAIN RESULTS: Forty-eight (80%) of 60 residents who delivered initiated breastfeeding, and continued for the duration of their maternity leave (mean, 7 weeks). With a return to residency half (24) of those who had initiated breastfeeding discontinued breastfeeding. The breastfeeding rate dropped to 15% (9/60) at 6 months. Residency work schedule was the most common reason (80%) for discontinuing breastfeeding. Of the 24 residents who continued breastfeeding while working, 83% pumped breast milk during their work shifts; 79% felt there was insufficient time during work, and 42% reported no appropriate place at work to express milk. Only 54% who continued felt supported by their attending physicians for their efforts to breastfeed; 67% felt colleagues were supportive.

Conclusions: The breastfeeding initiation rate for resident mothers was in compliance with the Healthy People 2000 guidelines, but the rate at infant age 6 months fell well below the goal of 50%. Modifiable factors in residents' work sites include both physical and emotional accommodations to encourage resident mothers to breastfeed.