Mothers who returned to work outside the home sustained exclusive breastfeeding for 24 weeks more often than mothers working remotely, and both groups did better than mothers who stayed home full time. That is the counterintuitive finding of a Washington State University study published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research, and it challenges the assumption that physical proximity to a baby determines whether breastfeeding continues.
The probability of continuing exclusive breastfeeding through the first 24 weeks was 70 percent among mothers working outside the home, 60 percent among those working from home, and 37 percent among stay-at-home mothers, according to the study summary published by Washington State University. Stay-at-home mothers also reported the lowest breastfeeding relationship scores, a measure of mother-infant responsiveness and perceived adequacy of milk supply.
Before any parent draws conclusions from those numbers, the study's size matters. It followed 81 mothers, which is a small sample, and it is observational, so it cannot establish that work location causes any of these outcomes.
The Limits That Shape How Far the Finding Travels
The research team tracked an online survey cohort at four time points, at 4, 12, 20, and 24 weeks after birth, between June 2022 and August 2023. That window spans the transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when work arrangements, childcare availability, and household routines were unusually unsettled.
An observational study of this design shows association, not causation. Women who choose or are able to work outside the home differ from women who work remotely and from women who stay home in ways the study cannot fully control, including income, occupation, education, partner support, health status and the reasons behind their arrangement. Any of those differences could drive the outcome rather than the work location itself.
The cohort's overall probability of exclusive breastfeeding was higher than the national average during this period, which suggests the sample was not representative of American mothers generally. Corresponding author Natsuko Wood, an assistant professor at the WSU College of Nursing, framed the results as highlighting structural challenges that require targeted attention rather than as guidance about where mothers should work.
None of this makes the finding uninteresting. It makes it a hypothesis worth testing in larger and more diverse samples.
The Explanation the Researchers Propose
The research team's interpretation focuses on workload and structure rather than distance. "The data reveal that work engagement, not just where the work is done, is what truly matters," Wood said, describing the combination of infant care and paid work as a compound workload.
Mothers working remotely reported greater initial flexibility and emotional stability, but by 24 weeks many struggled to sustain exclusive breastfeeding. As workload intensity rose, the researchers found, the cognitive demands of meeting deadlines or leading projects made it harder for remote mothers to pump or breastfeed, and the difficulty was more pronounced where workplace support was lacking.
Federal law requires most employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space, other than a bathroom, for expressing milk, which creates a scheduled, protected interval in the workday. At home, that structure often dissolves. A meeting runs long, and the pumping session gets skipped because nobody expects the mother to step away.
That reading is the researchers' proposed explanation, not a demonstrated mechanism. The study did not test whether adding formal support to remote work changes the outcome.
The Broader Context American Parents Are Working Within
The finding lands in a country where returning to work early is the norm rather than the exception. The United States has no national paid family leave requirement, and prior research has consistently found that shorter leave periods are associated with earlier cessation of breastfeeding.
The stay-at-home group's low numbers may be the most surprising result in the study, and Wood offered an explanation for it. She described stay-at-home mothers as working continuously without a paycheck, managing household and childcare demands around the clock without the built-in boundaries, set hours,s or formal recognition that come with a job outside the home. That interpretation is the researchers' reading of their own data rather than something the study directly measured.
Global guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods. In the United States, CDC data cited by the research team put exclusive breastfeeding at six months at about 27 percent, and the reasons are structural more than individual. Access to lactation consultants varies by insurance and geography, and enforcement of break time requirements is inconsistent.
Practical Implications for Households Planning a Return to Work
The useful takeaway is not that mothers should return to an office. It is that remote work should not be assumed to solve the problem on its own.
Parents planning a return to work while breastfeeding can treat pumping sessions as calendar commitments rather than tasks to fit around other things, and block themas theyg woulda meetingd. Telling a manager or team that specific intervals are unavailable creates the boundary a workplace lactation room creates physically.
Childcare arrangements matter as much for remote workers as for anyone else. A baby in the same house still requires care from someone, and expecting to provide it while working full time is a common source of strain.
Employees can ask their employer directly about available lactation support, including break time policies, a designated private space for hybrid days, and whether any milk storage or shipping benefits are offered for travel. Employers subject to federal requirements must provide break time and private space for one year after birth.
Anyone struggling with milk supply, pain or feeding difficulties should consult a lactation consultant, obstetric provider or pediatrician rather than adjusting feeding based on a study summary, the same principle MedicalDaily applied in reporting on vaccine timing questions during pregnancy. Breastfeeding decisions involve maternal health, infant growth, medication use, and family circumstances that no research finding can address individually, and formula feeding is a safe and appropriate choice for many families.
The research team has indicated that structural workplace support deserves further study. Larger studies with more diverse populations would be needed before these findings could inform employer policy or clinical counseling. The access problems that shape those choices are themselves under pressure, as MedicalDaily has reported in tracking where rural families can still give birth. MedicalDaily will report on subsequent research examining how work arrangements affect the duration of breastfeeding.
Key Questions Answered
What did the study find? Exclusive breastfeeding through 24 weeks was most likely among mothers working outside the home at 70 percent, followed by mothers working from home at 60 percent, and stay-at-home mothers at 37 percent.
How large was the study? It followed 81 new mothers at four time points between June 2022 and August 2023, and was published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.
Does this prove remote work reduces breastfeeding? No. This is an observational study that shows association, not causation. Mothers in each group differ in ways the study cannot fully account for.
Why might working outside the home help? Researchers point to formal workplace support, including federally required break times and private spaces, which create protected intervals that often disappear at home.
Should mothers change their work arrangement? No decision of that scale should rest on one small study. The more actionable point is that remote work does not automatically provide the structure breastfeeding requires.
What can parents do practically? Schedule pumping sessions as protected calendar commitments, arrange childcare regardless of work location, and ask employers what lactation support and private space are available.
Where should breastfeeding problems be addressed? With a lactation consultant, obstetric provider or pediatrician. Formula feeding is a safe and appropriate option for many families.
