| When Can/Should New Moms Return to Work?
St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN), October 13, 2004. St. Paul Edition; Section: Life, p.E1
by Maja Beckstrom, Staff Writer
In the medical literature, recovery from childbirth is considered to happen around six weeks, when the reproductive organs recover. But as any new mom knows, just because your uterus has popped back into shape, it doesn't mean you're up and running like normal.
A new study from the University of Minnesota looks at the physical and mental health of women postpartum, with a focus on working women. The preliminary findings, which were released at a conference earlier this month, toss another factor into the modern dilemma of when new moms should return to their jobs.
It's a pressing question given that women with infants are the fastest growing segment of the workforce. More than half of women with a baby under age 1 work. And, with slightly more than two-thirds of women working, Minnesota has one of the highest female labor-participation rates in the country.
According to the study, women six weeks after birth suffered from a range of ailments, including breast soreness, fatigue, lower back pain, constipation and depression.
"Any one of those symptoms doesn't sound very serious, but the average woman had six of them at the same time, which suggests the need for rest and recovery," said principal researcher Patricia McGovern, an associate professor in the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.
McGovern became interested in the question of women's postpartum health in 1987, when Minnesota became the first state to pass a family leave law, allowing parents six weeks of unpaid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. The state law was superseded in 1993 by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires employers of 50 or more workers to allow unpaid leaves of up to 12 weeks to recover from serious illness or to care for a newborn, an adopted child or an ill family member.
Sitting in the state hearings, McGovern heard a lot of discussion of the cost to employers, the financial implications for workers and a bit about infant bonding.
"But nowhere was there any discussion of women's health," she said.
McGovern's study followed more than 700 women who intended to return to work within a year following childbirth. She has data through 18 months postpartum but preliminary findings only through six weeks, at which point 7 percent of the women had returned to work.
Several factors seem to be associated with better health. Not surprisingly, women who were healthier before pregnancy had fewer symptoms postpartum. Women who said they felt more in control of their lives also had fewer physical symptoms. Women who delivered Caesarean reported significantly more pain, less vitality and more difficulty doing daily tasks, such as vacuuming or climbing stairs.
The 5 percent that showed signs of depression were more likely to have job stress. New moms with social support -- people they could confide in, people who helped out around the house, supportive spouses -- were less likely to be depressed.
Women also were poorly informed about their company's family leave policies. When researchers followed up with calls to study participants' workplaces, they found many women had underestimated their paid leaves.
"At first blush, I was surprised," McGovern said. "But I think that access to information is not straightforward. The reality is that people have to go onto an employee Web site or read a handbook that's boring and confusing. They are really complicated policies. They piece together vacation, sick leave. There might be paid disability leave. Some is up to the supervisor's discretion. And it's different if you have a C-section."
McGovern's earlier research suggests that women who take longer leaves have fewer health problems. But whether someone takes a leave under the family leave act depends on financial considerations.
Sally Kenney, a co-investigator on the study and professor of public affairs and director of the Center on Women and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School, says that's why many people are closely watching California, which this summer became the first state in the nation to offer a family leave with pay.
California workers at any size company who need to take time off after the birth or adoption of a child or to care for an ill child or family member are entitled to receive 55 percent of their wages for up to six weeks. All employees contribute to the fund through a payroll deduction of no more than $55 per year.
California's experience might be a model other states can follow, Kenney said.
"Not all women experience childbirth the same way," she said. "Some women need more time to recover. Some are resilient. Some babies are healthy. Some are not healthy. So a policy that is geared to the healthy, resilient woman may not be adequate."
Maja Beckstrom can be reached at mbeckstrom@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5295.
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