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Recently, a group of legislators proposed a bill in New Jersey that would give every woman the right to take pumping breaks at work. To honor the legislators, many pumping moms delivered speeches about their experiences with pumping and working. This is one woman's story:
“Before I got pregnant, and before thoughts of babies and nursing and pumping ever entered my mind, I used to go into the bathroom at work and hear a strange whirring noise coming from the handicapped stall, every morning around 11 am. I never could figure out what was going on in there- but finally it dawned on me- she was expressing her milk for her baby. Still, this did not make much of an impression on me until I had my own daughter, and found myself in that woman’s shoes.
After my daughter was born, breastfeeding was a challenge for me. But after 8 weeks or so, it finally came together – I got it, my baby got it, and we were able to make it work. I was enjoying breastfeeding, enjoying the way it helped me calm my baby so easily, and enjoying the fact that I was providing my baby with the optimal nutrition for her growth and development. Yes, breastfeeding was going wonderfully- just in time for me to return to work.
For me, returning to work after my daughter was born was a necessary evil. I had no other option. But before I delivered, I never really thought out the logistics of working and pumping, and maintaining a milk supply. I just took it for granted that it would happen and that I would succeed. However, as the day to return to work approached, and I read about other moms who experienced a decrease in milk supply or who had bosses that did not support them taking time to express their milk during their workday, and I worried- would the fact that I had to return to work mean that I would not be able to provide the best nutrition for my baby? Would it mean that I would have to stop breastfeeding? I had fought hard to establish my breastfeeding relationship, so I was not about to give it up.
I returned to work armed with information to prove to my employer that continuing to breastfeed was not only best for me and my baby, but also best for my employer and his bottom line. The statistics speak for themselves: breastfed babies have fewer illnesses than formula-fed babies, therefore their mothers and fathers miss less work. In addition, healthcare costs to employers are lower for breastfed babies, because less insurance claims are filed. It’s clear that breastfeeding and pumping benefits employers, and that does not even take into account the softer side of the issue! Pumping at work also results in an increased productivity, as many pumping mamas report less guilt about being away from their babies since they are providing mama's milk for them at day care. However, due in part to the challenges working moms face in continuing to pump, only 27% of babies of working moms are breastfed at 6 months.
I was lucky. I have an office and my employer allowed me to take two fifteen- minute breaks per day to express my milk. I thought about that woman who had to pump in the bathroom as I pumped in my office; how awful it must have been for her to be forced to express her baby’s food in a dirty toilet stall. But my choice to pump was not without some social ramifications- people whispered about my breaks and wondered how long I was going to continue. Ironically, these were often the same people who took smoke breaks every two hours!!
I now belong to an online community of pumping and working moms, and that helps me see that not everyone is as lucky as I am. Some employers don’t allow their pumping moms to take a break, and these moms have to pump at their desks in open cubicles. Some moms just quit breastfeeding, because their bosses don’t allow them to have breaks. In almost all of these cases, smoke breaks are allowed. How is it possible that employers will support a harmful habit that has been proven to be detrimental to health and is well known to increase their healthcare costs and absenteeism while at the same time neglecting to a support a healthy feeding choice that makes their employees more productive, leads to less absenteeism, and reduces healthcare costs? In my opinion, it is a lack of knowledge and education on the part of the employer, and that is one more reason why we need this Pumping and Working bill passed into law in New Jersey. The law will require all employers to allow a woman to take two breaks per day to pump milk for their babies.
This law will allow women to return to work with one less thing to worry about. Women should not have to choose between providing their children with the best food and working to keep a roof over their heads! All working women must have the freedom, and the right, to choose how they want to feed their babies. Employers need to be educated about why and how supporting working mothers who choose to breastfeed benefits their bottom line.
In a perfect world all mothers who wish to stay at home with their babies would be able to. This is not a perfect world, but mothers who have to work should not be forced to terminate their breastfeeding relationships. As a society we should do everything we can to help all mothers continue to nurture their babies they way they choose to. By making this into law we will be taking a step towards allowing all mothers to breastfeed for as long as they would like.
How did it turn out for me? Well, my daughter is now 15 months old and a big, healthy girl! Our nursing relationship has survived crazy schedules, work gossip, and two business trips and we are still going strong. I would not have it any other way. Personally, the fact that I am providing her with mama’s milk, something no one else can give her, brings me great comfort when I am away from her. I am so happy that I was able to succeed at pumping and working. Pass this law, and help other mothers feel that happiness and pride that I feel in making it work.”
Noelle M. Gavula (Cholesmom)
1/26/06
For more information on laws related to pumping and working, visit http://www.lalecheleague.org/Law/LawEmployment.html
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