On the Fb page of Lactation Consultants Slovenia, you can find interesting articles, including this one:
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding until two years of age or beyond. In the second year, breast milk still offers protection to the child against certain infectious diseases, while with continued months of breastfeeding, the protection of both child and mother against chronic non-communicable diseases of modern times increases.
Studies investigating the effects of breastfeeding on the health of the child and mother confirm a positive and dose-dependent impact on their health. Therefore, it is reasonable to recommend continuing breastfeeding even after the child’s first year of life.
6 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF BREASTFEEDING IN THE SECOND YEAR OF LIFE:
1. Breastfeeding significantly protects the child from infections even in the second year of life.
2. Children breastfed for longer periods have a lower likelihood of obesity in childhood and adolescence.
3. The impact of breastfeeding on a child’s cognitive development is proportional to the total amount of breast milk consumed.
4. One year or more of breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer in the mother.
5. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian malignancy in the mother; the reduction is directly proportional to the duration of breastfeeding.
6. Breastfeeding longer than 12 months reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the mother.
Source: Marjetka Žefran Drole, MD, Pediatric Specialist, IBCLC; Breastfeeding after 12 months – medical aspects. Proceedings of the conference Breastfeeding and Work – Let it Work (2015). UNICEF Slovenia National Committee for the Promotion of Breastfeeding and the Association of Lactation Consultants and Breastfeeding Slovenia.
BREASTFEEDING AND WORK
Women’s awareness of the positive aspects of breastfeeding is growing, which is why many women continue to breastfeed after returning to work. Legislation governing employment relationships follows this trend, making it easier to combine work and family life.
Breastfeeding as a legal category also appears in Slovenian labor law. The Employment Relationships Act provides special protection against dismissal for breastfeeding employees and protection for employees due to pregnancy and parenthood: prohibition of performing work during pregnancy and during breastfeeding (Article 184 in conjunction with Article 146), protection during pregnancy and parenthood regarding night and overtime work (Article 185), and the right of a breastfeeding mother (Article 188).
Key to a successful return to work and continued breastfeeding is knowing your rights, early agreement with the employer, and understanding your goals and wishes regarding breastfeeding your child. Breastfeeding employees in Slovenia enjoy a relatively high level of rights and protection, which allows them to continue breastfeeding according to expert recommendations.
An employee who is breastfeeding a child under 18 months of age and works full-time is entitled to a breastfeeding break during working hours, lasting at least one hour daily. Conditions for obtaining the right to a breastfeeding break:
– the child is not yet 18 months old,
– full-time employment,
– during working hours,
– at least one hour daily.
The break can be scheduled only after one hour of work and no later than one hour before the end of working hours. The break time during the workday is included in working hours. A breastfeeding break cannot be used to allow the employee to work 7 hours and finish earlier. The right to compensation for the break time is exercised in accordance with regulations governing parental leave.
What do women need for successful continued breastfeeding after returning to work?
1. Privacy – a pleasant, intimate space where a woman can breastfeed her child or express milk (should not be a restroom).
2. Time – a break during working hours.
3. Support from the employer and colleagues.
Source: Barbara Marinko, B.A. in Law; Legislation and Breastfeeding in Slovenia and Abroad. Proceedings of the conference Breastfeeding and Work – Let it Work (2015). UNICEF Slovenia National Committee for the Promotion of Breastfeeding and the Association of Lactation Consultants and Breastfeeding Slovenia.
Read more:
Breastfeeding after 1 year – dojenje.net
(Too) long breastfeeding? – rumina.si
Still breastfeeding, even though they’re “so big”? – iskreni.net
