A survey of 1,635 Georgia women who were employed during pregnancy found that nearly 30 percent were advised by a physician or nurse to stop work during pregnancy. Half of the women who stopped working did so by the seventh month of pregnancy or earlier. Medically prescribed leaves were associated with clinical risk factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Most women who were advised to stop working had symptoms -- such as high blood pressure -- associated with a greater risk of delivering a preterm or low birth weight infant.
Preterm birth and low birth weight are increasingly common in the US. Yet because of the 12-week limit of the US Family and Medical Leave Act, women on prenatal medical leave may be out of work for prolonged periods or have little or no maternity leave available after an infant is born. The authors suggest that US policy makers may be mistakenly assuming, without supporting data, that few women need extended prenatal leave.
Additional Links:
The Family and Medical Leave Act http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/3681...
Maurenne Griese is a registered nurse, doula and mother of four breastfed children, a prolific writer and a web design dabbler. She's been busy caring for baby Austin, born in August of 2000, and her three other children as well as designing her new website, http://konzababy.tripod.com
Go To Page: 1
