Research on what’s best for baby

Women who stop working a month or more before their babies are due are four times less likely to have a caesarean, says new research.

The findings, published in Women’s Health Issues journal in January, attributes low rates to women being less tired and anxious.

Women who took six weeks or less off work after giving birth are four times more likely to be unable to establish a breastfeeding routine, according to another study by the same author, Dr Sylvia Guendelman of the University of California, and published in Paediatrics journal.

Women who take less than 12 weeks off are twice as likely to be unsuccessful in breastfeeding, the study says.