Estonia’s progress in supporting working parents with babies is an inspiring example of how to find a balance between equal caregiving responsibilities for mothers and fathers while promoting exclusive breastfeeding for newborns during their first 6 months. During World Breastfeeding Week, WHO/Europe takes a closer look at Estonia’s parental benefit system, which supports women to breastfeed at work.
Breastfeeding in today’s busy world
Breastfeeding ensures the best start in life. Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants, ensuring growth and development; it also lowers a child’s risk of obesity and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) later in life. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child’s life and continuing to breastfeed alongside appropriate complementary feeding for up to 2 years and beyond has long-lasting positive effects for both the baby and the mother.
“Supporting mothers to return to work and continue to breastfeed is crucial for both the health and well-being of the mother and the child. Employers, policy-makers and society as a whole have a vital role to play in supporting, protecting and promoting breastfeeding,” said Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, WHO/Europe Regional Adviser for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.
Estonia is one of the countries in the WHO European Region that has demonstrated good practice and developed clear and simple rules for supporting mothers who continue to breastfeed as they return to work, which is an encouraging example for countries to follow.
Breastfeeding support at the workplace – Estonian style
In Estonia, the health-care system offers substantial support for breastfeeding to promote infant health and development. Breastfeeding mothers receive essential assistance and guidance through support groups, training and access to specialists.
Workplaces have also adopted a supportive approach to breastfeeding, offering flexible working hours and provisions for pumping and storing breastmilk. Employers are encouraged to create a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
At workplaces, mothers returning to work before the child turns 1.5 years old are entitled to additional breaks for breastfeeding. These breaks, lasting up to 30 minutes each, can be taken every 3 hours and can also be used for collecting breastmilk. If needed, the breaks can be taken at home or in a suitable location. For mothers feeding 2 or more children up to 1.5 years old, the break duration must be at least 1 hour. Importantly, these breaks are considered part of working hours and are supported by the current social law system, which was extensively updated between 2018 and 2022.
To further promote breastfeeding, the Ministry of Social Affairs established the Estonian Committee for Breastfeeding Promotion, which coordinates awareness-raising efforts. Several hospitals have also joined the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, launched by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to protect, develop and promote breastfeeding, creating a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers.
In 2021, 69% of 6-month-old infants, and 33% of 12-month-old infants in Estonia were able to experience the nurturing benefits of partial or exclusive breastfeeding.
Estonia’s parental benefit system: flexibility for mothers and fathers
Breastfeeding promotion is an integral part of Estonia’s comprehensive parental benefit system, which includes maternity, paternity and shared parental leave totalling 605 days. Some of the key features of this system include:
- Maternity benefit and leave are provided to working mothers, starting 70 days before the expected date of birth.
- Fathers are entitled to paternity leave, lasting for 30 working days and accompanied by paternity benefit.
- Shared parental benefit is a flexible option that allows parents to decide who will receive the benefit. Fathers can now start receiving this benefit when the child reaches 31 days old, encouraging their greater involvement in childcare. Shared benefit can be distributed among parents until the child turns 3 years old.
“Through this generous parental leave system and recent reforms, Estonia encourages both parents to actively participate in caregiving responsibilities. This not only increases fathers’ involvement but also provides more opportunities for mothers to balance work and family life,” said Kadri Raid, who is leading family policy at the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs.
Notable improvements, such as earning income while receiving parental benefits and the introduction of paternity leave, have led to a higher employment rate for women with children under the age of 2, and a significant increase in fathers utilizing parental leave benefits (current rate 17%).
Looking ahead: WHO/Europe’s vision for 2030
WHO/Europe’s Special Initiative for Innovation and NCD team are committed to supporting, protecting and promoting breastfeeding in the European Region as an essential part of its work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and NCD targets by 2030.
While the European Region still faces challenges in promoting breastfeeding, Estonia’s experience demonstrates that policy actions can lead to significant improvements. By adopting flexible parental benefit systems and creating supportive breastfeeding environments at workplaces, countries can contribute to the well-being of both parents and their children.