Apologies for the broken link. Here are the correct links: [url=http://aliveandthrive.org/resources/workplace-intervention-to-support-breastfeeding-in-viet-nam/]Program brief[/url] and [url=http://aliveandthrive.org/resources/toolkit-resources-for-creating-breastfeeding-friendly-workplaces-in-viet-nam/]Toolkit[/url]

Thanks, I have already used the A&T toolkit specifically. However I'm trying to find data showing how lactation rooms have actually improved the rates of breastfeeding. So far there only seems to be data for some companies in USA.

Almost 30 years ago we did some operations research in Honduras with Population Council on adding breastfeeding support in hospitals and improving support for family planning in the Social Security Hospital population where a large number of women delivering were employed in the formal sector. This was actually pre-internet so I'm not sure where the findings might be posted. This was a pre--post cohort evaluation so the first cohort was enrolled at birth and followed up at 6 months. The intervention took place (the organization of a breastfeeding clinic, changes to return and referral protocols and simplification of scheduling for post-partum family planning as well as some other interventions). The post-intervention cohort was followed up at 6 months. In the pre-intervention group, the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding was about a month for employed and non-employed mothers. In the post-cohort, the average increased to 3 months for non-employed mothers (recommendation in those days was 4-6 months, but effectively 4 months) and for employed women the average increased to somewhere around 6 weeks, which is the period of paid maternity leave in Honduras. There was other research done during that same period that seemed to point to the need to improve rates of exclusive breastfeeding in general in order to be able to affect breastfeeding rates of employed women. Certainly I think that looking to Swedish experience might be helpful there as extended maternity leave was available before breastfeeding rates improved and it was only when Sweden began to support and promote breastfeeding that practices and particularly exclusive breastfeeding improved. I'll try and dig out the reference to our Honduras work.

Hello Paul, thank you for sharing. This is a very comprehensive approach from Viet Nam.

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/91/6/12-109363/en/ This is an important paper on the subject matter...provides evidence on BF breaks and EBF rates....