Breastfeeding after Returning to Work: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are widely known; however, continuation after returning to work (RTW) is not. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of breastfeeding after RTW. The secondary objectives were to compare the economic statuses between continents. Method: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Base, and Embase were searched until 1 September 2020, and two independent reviewers selected the studies and collated the data. To be included, articles needed to describe our primary outcome, i.e., prevalence of breastfeeding after RTW. Results: We included 14 studies, analyzing 42,820 women. The overall prevalence of breastfeeding after RTW was 25% (95% CI, 21% to 29%), with an important heterogeneity (I2 = 98.6%)—prevalence ranging from 2% to 61%. Stratification by continents and by GDP per capita also showed huge heterogeneity. The Middle East had the weakest total prevalence with 10% (6% to 14%), and Oceania the strongest with 35% (21% to 50%). Despite the prevalence of breastfeeding in general increasing with GDP per capita (US$50,000 42%), the prevalence of non-exclusive breastfeeding follows more of a U-curve with the lowest and highest GDP per capita having the highest percentages of breastfeeding (US$50,000: 50%, versus