New Law Aids Breastfeeding Moms At Work
The benefits of breast feeding are well documented, and women who breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of their newborn baby’s life have been shown to have medically benefited their children by showing lower instances of pneumonia, and later on the life higher brain function. While formula has come a long way with incredible nutritional benefits, and for some woman it is the correct choice to make, the vast majority of doctors recommend breastfeeding if possible.
Unfortunately, the public perception of breast feeding does not support the medical benefits. Back in December 2008, Facebook, the social media network, was criticized for removing photographs of nursing. In public, women are often scorned or stared at for nursing their babies in open spaces. For working women, it is often not possible to continue nursing once they return from their maternity leave, and for those who pump milk often have no place to go in the office. Some women report having to use a bathroom stall to pump milk, and feel scorned to have to put the bottles of milk in the company refrigerator.
In support of working women who chose to try to continue breastfeeding, President Obama’s health care bill, which was recently signed into law, now requires companies with more than 50 employees to have a “place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from public view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by any employee to express breast milk.” This new provision aims to help ease the separation women undergo when they return to work by helping them express breast milk in a safe, non-judgmental environment.
By allowing women to have a safe, comfortable place to pump milk in the workplace, woman may be able to continue breastfeeding their children a bit longer. CNN.com/health reports that the CDC found in 2009 that 74% of women start breastfeeding but that percentage plummets to 14% by the time the newborn is 6 months old. By supporting a woman’s ability to breastfeed longer, the potential cost benefit could save billions of dollars yearly, and nearly 1,000 lives a year, as a recent study published in the Medical Journal of Pediatrics, reports CNN.com. This coincides with the findings that women who breastfeed generally have healthier babies.
As always, breastfeeding versus bottle feeding is a personal choice, that is often made with the schedule of the mother in mind. Some women supplement breastfeeding with bottles, and may move to bottles completely by the time they have to return to work. For some children, allergies or additional nutritional requirements demand that they be fed with formula. Be sure to speak with your doctor about your choice to be sure that both you and your baby are getting the nutrition you both need.
