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| Expressed breast milk |
"Being a working mom is harder than it needs to be because corporate policies and practices were not created with us in mind..." Chatón T. Turner
As a working mom who is committed
to breastfeeding I can tell you that it is not for the faint of heart. In order
to make it work for at least a year, which is recommended by the American
Academy of Pediatrics, it takes preparation and persistence. (The World Health Organization actually recommends breastfeeding for two years.) I can also say
that it is more difficult than it needs to be because for many companies the
needs of breastfeeding moms are a complete afterthought.
I have been fortunate though. I
had my first baby in 2010 after President Obama required companies to provide
breaks for lactating moms. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Affordable
Care Act”) requires employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee
to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s
birth each time such employee has need to express the milk. Employers are also
required to provide a clean, private place to be used for pumping. This law became effective on March 23, 2010.
I am an attorney at a large
organization and have an office with a door. That gives me the ability to pump
when I can. I have learned that the mute function on my phone is a gift from
God. Also, most people don't hear the pump on the phone. And when they do, they
don't comment. With so many people taking calls while walking, driving and at
home, the sound of the pump doesn't seem to draw attention. I can also attest
that I've heard many dogs barking, birds chirping, and ice clicking, on
conference calls. If someone says something about my pump, I'll have a real
issue...
Because of the control I have
over my schedule and the ability to lock my office, I have been able to
breastfeed my kids like I'm a hippie. My daughter nursed until she was over two
years old and at fifteen months my son shows no interest om stopping. In that
regard, I am very blessed.
Remote Work Assignments Complicate Life for Lactating Moms
That said, when I am on a remote
assignment or attending an outside meeting, it is a real struggle to pump. Most
events are planned without considering the needs of the lactating mom. I once
pumped at a conference center in an unlocked room with a sliding glass door
because I needed to do and was assured that "nobody ever goes in
there". It worked out for me, but I was really nervous and angry that
nobody had thought that there might be a lactating mother in the group of 1500
people!
Indignities like this are
completely avoidable with proper planning. However, most companies merely
tolerate working mothers. They do not actually have policies that promote
working mothers that are designed to allow them to provide the best nutrition
for their babies and excel at their jobs. The result is many women abandon
breastfeeding shortly after returning to work because it is simply too hard to
make it work. They often feel defeated and feel as if they have let their
babies down.
IBM Should Be Applauded for
Supporting Breastfeeding Moms Regardless of Cost
IBM recently passed a policy that
has me so excited I could pull a Brandy Chastain and wave my t-shirt in the
air! In a released statement IBM said, "[t]he
concerns about cost are [nothing] compared to our drive to help our working
moms." That company has done what
many companies have refused to do. They have established a culture that doesn't
merely tolerate breastfeeding. Instead, at IBM, breastfeeding is promoted.
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