Breastmilk pumping experiences of physician mothers: quantitative and qualitative findings from a nationwide survey study

Abstract

Background: Nearly half of graduating medical students today are women, with many having children early in their careers, necessitating thoughtful consideration of practices and policies. The short duration of maternity leave for physician mothers often means that most who choose to breastfeed must return to work while still breastfeeding their infants. Objective: To characterize the experience of physician mothers and identify facilitators and barriers related to breastmilk pumping upon return to work. Design: Cross-sectional nationwide survey study administered to physician mothers electronically via REDCap™ to broadly characterize their personal experiences with family leave and return to work. Participants: Physician mothers in the USA (n=724). Approach/Main Measure: Demographic data and survey responses related to experiences during family leave and return to work, including free-text response options when participants indicated “other” experiences not captured by the survey response options and one open-ended question asking, “What do you think are the most important factors contributing to a positive maternity/family leave experience?” For this study, we searched free-text responses across the entire survey for keywords related to breastfeeding and pumping and thematically analyzed them to summarize key features of physician mothers’ experiences. Key Results: Lack of time, flexibility, dedicated and hygienic locations for pumping breast milk, disrespect and lack of support from others, and concerns about financial consequences of productivity changes were the most common barriers to pumping breastmilk reported by physician mothers. Conclusions: Flexibility in scheduling, adjusted productivity targets, and clean, private, and well-equipped pumping rooms would likely provide the greatest support to help physician mothers thrive in their careers while simultaneously allowing them to provide the nourishment needed for their developing infants.