Paid Leave & Breastfeeding: Does Policy Impact Infant Health?
"A new study examines how paid family leave policies in California and New Jersey affect breastfeeding rates, offering insights for policymakers nationwide."
Paid family leave policies are gaining traction across the United States, aiming to support parents during the crucial period following childbirth. While the potential benefits of such policies are widely acknowledged, the US remains the only high-income nation without a national mandate. This makes understanding the impact of state-level policies, like those in California and New Jersey, all the more critical.
Recognizing that early return to work can negatively affect breastfeeding practices, maternal health, and even infant immunization rates, researchers are delving into the real-world effects of these policies. Prior studies have often been correlational, making it difficult to isolate the true impact of paid leave. Now, a new study uses a robust quasi-experimental approach to provide clearer evidence on how these policies influence breastfeeding practices.
This article explores the findings of that study, which examines the impact of paid family leave policies in California and New Jersey on breastfeeding rates. By comparing changes in these states with those without such policies, the research sheds light on whether paid leave truly improves breastfeeding outcomes – and for whom.
Paid Leave Access and Breastfeeding Data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 50% of civilian workers had access to paid family and medical leave in 2026. Its historical data show that, in 1988, among full-time workers at medium and large establishments, 2% participated in paid maternity leave and 1% in paid paternity leave. The CDC’s Breastfeeding Report Card links to annually released national and state breastfeeding data, with trends viewable by demographic groups. A 2024 study set out to assess the relationship between state paid family leave policies and breastfeeding duration.
Policy Support and Work-Related Barriers
A review of U.S. national policies concludes that comprehensive, inclusive paid parental leave and closing gaps in breastfeeding-break legislation could remove work-related barriers to breastfeeding and reduce racial, ethnic, and gender inequities. A state-level study reports that exclusive breastfeeding and both early and late mixed feeding were more prevalent in states with paid family leave policies than never breastfeeding. These findings describe policy associations and recommendations; the supplied source summaries do not establish that every policy produces the same effect for every family. A policy brief also identifies balancing work and breastfeeding as a major challenge and paid maternity leave as a support most American women lack.
The Development of Paid Leave
The U.S. Department of Labor defines paid family and medical leave as wage replacement during extended time away from work for qualifying reasons, including bonding with a new child, recovering from a serious health condition, or caring for a loved one. A separate history source describes comprehensive policies providing at least six weeks of paid leave for all new parents and at least 12 weeks for the parent who gave birth, and reports benefits associated with such policies including longer leave-taking and improved parent mental health. Historically, France’s legislature mandated on-site factory nurseries and paid breastfeeding breaks, according to a 2019 account. A U.S. family-leave timeline dates the Family and Medical Leave Act’s enactment to 1993 and California’s Paid Family Leave program launch to 2004.
Does Paid Family Leave Boost Breastfeeding?
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey (NIS) between 2003 and 2015. This included a large sample of over 300,000 children, offering a broad and diverse dataset to assess the impact of California and New Jersey's paid family leave policies, which allow for up to 6 weeks of partially paid leave.
- Ever breastfed
- Exclusively breastfed at 3 and 6 months
- Still breastfed at 6 and 12 months
- Duration of any breastfeeding
- Exclusive breastfeeding duration
Emerging Evidence on Leave and Breastfeeding
A study of a military policy change that extended maternity leave from six to 12 weeks found statistically significant increases in breastfeeding duration through nine months (P = .003) and breastfeeding exclusivity through six months (P = .016). A 2026 article describes emerging evidence on human milk’s influence on neonatal immunity and antimicrobial resistance, and characterizes paid family leave as a policy mechanism for supporting breastfeeding and maternal and infant health. A December 2025 research brief reports that paid leave leads to greater breastfeeding improvement among more advantaged women, while postpartum-depression reductions are greater among White and middle-income parents. The supplied Massachusetts PFML source describes its data as supporting statewide generalizability and robust interpretation, but its summary does not provide a specific result for breastfeeding duration or exclusivity.
Designing Policies for Equitable Impact
The study's findings highlight the importance of carefully designing paid family leave policies to ensure they benefit all segments of the population. While the policies in California and New Jersey did improve exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months, the benefits were more pronounced among married, White, higher-income, and older mothers.
Evaluating State Policy Changes
A quasi-experimental study examined U.S. paid family leave policies using difference-in-differences analyses. It compared changes before and after policy implementation in California and New Jersey with changes in states that did not implement paid family leave policies. This design provides a structured way to compare policy-period changes across those groups. The supplied summary does not report the study’s specific outcome estimates.
Policy Catching Up With Breastfeeding Science
A July 2026 analysis argues that U.S. paid family leave policies may be catching up to breastfeeding science. It emphasizes the importance of timing, continuity, and job-protected feeding opportunities. A separate 2025 article discusses trends, benefits, and the future outlook for paid parental leave, including potential increases globally. The supplied summaries do not provide a forecast or a specific projected increase.
Leave Reform and Family Outcomes
A study investigated the effects of Quebec’s parental leave reform on parental health, breastfeeding, and parental behavior. It focused on the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), introduced on January 1, 2006. A global case-study report says adequate paid maternity leave is critical for supporting breastfeeding and that returning to work too soon has been shown to harm breastfeeding practices. The supplied summaries do not give the Quebec study’s specific outcome estimates or the figure that follows the global report’s statement about a one-month increase in legislated leave.
This suggests that existing policies may not adequately support low-income families, who may struggle to afford even a partial loss of wages. To address this disparity, future policies should consider more generous wage replacement and targeted outreach to vulnerable populations.
Ultimately, this research underscores the potential of paid family leave to improve infant health outcomes, but also emphasizes the need for ongoing evaluation and refinement to maximize its impact and ensure equitable access for all families.