Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : August 7, 2017 6:18 PM IST
The year 2017 has been a great year to mark the importance of maternal health and infant welfare. On 27th March this year, The Maternity Benefit Amendment Act 2017 received Presidential assent and came to force from 1st April 2017. The act promises an extended paid leave of 26 weeks as opposed to the previous 12 weeks. Under this act, an expectant mother can avail the leave from eight weeks before her expected delivery date and extend it for 18 weeks post delivery. While The Ministry of Labour and Employment has done its bit to oblige the government take notice of the long overdue requests regarding the amendment of the maternity bill, but many organisations still hesitate from giving their employee the benefit of six months of paid maternity leave. Read to know why it is important for working mothers to take maternity leaves?
With the new amendments in the bill, India now qualifies to be among the 16 countries having the longest paid leave for new mothers. Albeit slowly, the society in general, is taking note that an extended paid maternity leave is a boon for the mother apart from benefiting her child it various ways. It also helps deal with postpartum health and equips the mother to take on the challenges that follows. However, some organisations are still sticking with the three-month maternity leave even after the government has mandated them to stretch it to six months. But thankfully, another segment of the workforce has recognised the sheer necessity of supporting their female workforce by adapting to the new amendment. Here are seven facts about postpartum depression that one should know.
Why a six months maternity break is necessary?
The WHO recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding by new mothers to ensure proper nourishment, growth and development of infants. Thereafter, it suggests breastfeeding for up to two years of age along with proper weaning with nutritious foods. So, for mothers who have their maternity leave curtailed to three months, find it difficult to comply with the WHO recommendations. Often these mothers have to resort to early weaning if they are planning to get back to work. Read this to know if you should start weaning your child early.
Even though weaning at three months won't be fatal for the baby, it is not recommended either by WHO or any healthcare experts. Most paediatricians, gynaecologists, obstetricians and lactation experts also recommend the same as early weaning could also take a toll on the baby s immature digestive system.
The Medela Breastfeeding Survey 2017 pointed out that 44 percent of working mothers from Maharashtra were comfortable to return back to their jobs only after six months of their maternity leave.
This shows that mothers are more comfortable to resume back to work after six months of maternity leave; they can breastfeed and take care of their infants for the initial period of their life and can return to work with a relaxed mind frame. Providing six months maternity leave will help thousands of women to produce much healthier children and thereby improve the health of the nation, says Dr Preeti Gangan, MBBS, DCH, IBCLC, Member of Medela Lactation Club. Prolonged breastfeeding also helps a mother to avert a postpartum depression.
In today's marketplace, where hiring and retaining a skilled work force is one of the greatest challenges, having qualified employees wanting to return to their jobs after an extended leave should be looked like a blessing. With the new policy in place, employers can actively plan for the long absence of the female staff and avert any negative impact on the organisation s overall goals. This gives the mothers the peace of mind of a having a career waiting for her which assures her self-worth and improves her mental health to a great extent, she says.
Therefore, in the light of the situation, organisations and employers must provide mandated maternity leaves to their women workforce so that they can actively contribute their bit to the success of the organisation as well as theirs.
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