P3A088: Does Providing Access to Wearable Breast Pumps Improve Physicians' Experience of Breastfeeding?

Background: Exclusive breastmilk for infants in the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding in at least the first year of life, has been shown to support infant and maternal medical and mental health. Yet women in the United States, including physicians, struggle to meet these recommendations due to complex and multifactorial reasons. These include a lack of adequate facilities and policies to accommodate lactation, amongst many others. These challenges reflect a broader pattern of devaluing physician mothers in the workplace. 80% of female physicians report experiencing maternal discrimination based specifically on their motherhood status. Examples of discriminatory practices include retaliatory schedules and patient loads flanking delivery, pressure to limit the amount of maternity leave taken, microaggressions about maternity leave, refusal to provide pumping breaks, and unwillingness to provide increased flexibility in scheduling for childcare and lactation needs. As a result, burnout and mood disorders disproportionately affect physician mothers.

Project Description: Our project aimed to see if wearable breast pumps could improve lactating physicians’ productivity and mental health. We partnered with the wearable breast pump company, Elvie, who provided us educational resources and a bulk purchasing price for pumps. The pumps were then purchased with funds allocated from trainee union funds to promote quality improvement, research, and advocacy. 16 participants were recruited that varied in demographics and specialties within medicine. They were asked to complete surveys before, during, and after receiving an Elvie wearable pump.

Discussion: Although the sample size was small, the results were encouraging. Almost all participants were able to meet their breastfeeding goals, and many even exceeded their anticipated goals of 6-12months, which they attributed to their wearable breast pumps. The majority increased their time dedicated to patient care while pumping after receiving their breast pumps. All participants felt that it helped manage their stress. The majority felt it helped improve their mood, anxiety levels, and self-esteem. The remaining participants felt the pumps neither helped nor worsened their mental health.

Conclusion: There is currently limited research on ways to support postpartum physicians, specifically those who wish to breastfeed. We hope that this pilot study will promote additional support and resources for lactating physician parents, particularly trainees with limited funds who may not be able to access wearable breast pumps through their insurance. We hope to one day be able to expand this project so that every physician who wishes to breastfeed will be able to reach their lactation and professional goals while mitigating bias and burnout in the workplace.