Working Moms Wonder Where to Pump? Not iron but milk.

Nursing moms find it difficult to express breast milk at work. When returning to work, they bring a breast pump but have no place to use it. Parked cars, restrooms, a telephone booth, and a basement storage room are some places women have had to choose to pump milk for their baby. Do these places sound comfortable in any shape or form? Some jurisdictions such as Washington D.C. have passed laws requiring employers to provide female workers a private, clean space, outside a restroom, to express milk. Their law is called The Child's Right to Nurse Act and it also gives women the right to breast-feed, covered or not, in ANY place, public or private, where she has a right to be.

BENEFITS:
This law came from a national movement that encourages women to give their children breast milk until age 1 as medical experts recommend. Babies given breast milk are 21% less likely to die in the first year and breast milk helps protect against many infectious diseases according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some studies show that breast-fed infants have a decreased chance later in life of developing problems such as diabetes, asthma, and cancer. It also appears to improve cognitive development. For moms the benefits are a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer as well as weight-gain.

PROBLEMS:
Pumping at work poses many challenges for women: time to do it (need 10-15 minutes 2-3 times per day), space to do it, storage of the expressed milk, and refrigeration of it. Co-workers aren't always sympathetic to the issue either. They wonder why women who are breast-feeding should receive "special treatment." All of this leads to decreased rates of breast-feeding among working women. There are laws about breast-feeding but not about pumping. Legal protections are needed so that all the benefits mentioned above can be taken advantage of by women. If she doesn't have a chance to pump, her supply will dwindle and she won't be able to produce enough for her child. But a restroom? No! This sends a message that breast-feeding is an embarassing bodily function that should be kept away from others.

SOLUTION:
Women need a private space. If they have a private office space, they can shut the door but not all have their own private office. One woman places a picture of a cow on her door so her co-workers know what she is up to and why her door is closed. :o) The ultimate is for businesses to provide a lactation suite.