It is normal for a woman's menstrual and hormonal cycle to be altered and influenced by external factors. When we look at women who are breastfeeding, this can become more evident. The journal Cadernos de Saúde Pública released a scientific study earlier this month that proves that the stress and other factors in the work environment can harm the production of breast milk and, consequently, the baby's nutritional and immune health.
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Despite the idea that stress is harmful in this specific phase, it is not new and has already been scientifically proven. However, there were still doubts regarding common factors in the work environment beyond just feeling stress. The study promoted by UFMA (Federal University of Maranhão) confirmed the fact that tiredness, anxiety, staying on your feet for a long time, lifting weight and other factors are also harmful points.
To prove the thesis, an exploratory research was carried out through interviews with more than 5,000 women who were breastfeeding and who were simultaneously working. Data were collected in the city of São Luiz, in 2010, by scientists from UFMA. The research was focused on areas in which women performed semi-specialized manual work, such as clerks, manicurists, seamstresses, stallholders, etc.
The survey points out that workers specifically in these areas are more exposed to factors that lead to the interruption of exclusive breastfeeding. In the sector, more than half (58.2%) reported having discontinued the practice when the baby was 4 months old, while the remaining part (34.4%) of the participants discontinued up to 6 months.
The main factors for these scary numbers are working hours of 8 hours or more for more than 4 days, standing up for a long time, tiredness, anxiety, lifting very heavy objects, working under pressure and bad remuneration.
“These findings reinforce the difficulties for women to simultaneously exercise the functions of workers and mothers. It is possible that the characteristics of paid maternal work have negatively interfered with exclusive breastfeeding until the fourth month child's life for the 120 days of maternity leave, especially for women with worse socioeconomic conditions", concluded the search.
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