Working Women and Breastfeeding: Workplace Support Guide

Introduction: Breastfeeding in the Modern Workforce

According to Bouchez (2016), nursing babies once involved hardly any complications. Because the majority of mothers were housewives, maintaining a breastfeeding routine presented few difficulties. However, the situation today is quite different and complex. With large numbers of women joining the labor force, an increasing number of new mothers face breastfeeding-related problems that must be balanced with career demands.

About 70% of mothers in the workforce have children under the age of three. Approximately 33% of this group return to their jobs as soon as their baby turns three months old, while about 66% return within six months of the baby's birth. Clearly, the breastfeeding needs of a large segment of the workforce must be accommodated. Many women cite returning to work as the primary cause of breastfeeding cessation. The physical and emotional obstacles they encounter at work include: the absence of a private, pumping-friendly space; inflexible work schedules; discomfort with cleaning or storing pump supplies in front of coworkers; difficulty scheduling pumping time; and anxiety about discussing workplace breastfeeding needs. Those who face the greatest challenges tend to be employed in retail and low-wage positions. While several new mothers feel they must sacrifice either their career or breastfeeding, these activities can coexist. Experts caution mothers, however, not to delay planning this transition until after they have already returned to the workplace (Bouchez, 2016).

Research Topic and Action Plan

Researchers have demonstrated the significance of breastfeeding for the mental, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing of babies, their mothers, fathers, and the whole family. Failing to breastfeed is associated with a number of health risks, including type 2 diabetes, sudden infant death, and obesity. In brief, breastfeeding helps improve communities' overall health status. It is regarded as a fundamental human right; international law and the 1993 Human Rights Act afford women breastfeeding rights and protect them from discrimination. Likewise, when a mother is able and willing to breastfeed, the child is entitled to enjoy that right to good health. Protecting, promoting, and advocating for this right helps ensure that babies, parents, families, and the broader community experience its health benefits. The action plan discussed here aims at securing the exercise of this right in the daily lives of mothers (National Breastfeeding Advisory Committee of New Zealand, 2009).

King (2002) notes that at the international level, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Health Assembly (WHA), and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have taken significant steps to develop programs and policies for breastfeeding protection, promotion, and advocacy. The WHA's resolution to safeguard and encourage exclusive breastfeeding up to six months, and to offer safe, appropriate complementary infant foods alongside continued breastfeeding until the child reaches the age of two, is arguably the most notable of these measures. Action plans are therefore vital to supporting the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding worldwide, and an intensive, coordinated approach at the local, national, and regional levels is needed to achieve this goal.

The first step in the action plan involves active organizational participation in supporting workplace breastfeeding. Organizations must be aware of and accept breastfeeding's positive health effects for both the baby and the mother. Studies suggest that macro- and micro-level economic advantages, organizational returns on investment (ROI), and environmental benefits represent key secondary benefits of breastfeeding. At the micro-economic level, reduced formula expenditures alone can generate savings of $1,000 to $4,000 per year for individual families. Additional savings include reduced medical bills linked to infant illness and decreased absenteeism among working mothers attending sick-baby medical appointments. At the macro level, breastfeeding contributes to reducing national healthcare spending by decreasing expensive health-service usage that would otherwise be borne by insurers, families, or government agencies. Reduced workplace absenteeism provides both micro-level family benefits and macro-level societal benefits in the form of increased productivity. Supporting breastfeeding can also decrease government expenditures on formula programs (Mohler, 2011).

Companies will recognize breastfeeding's value when they offer female employees the option of continuing to breastfeed after returning to work. Because of these benefits, some studies suggest that breastfeeding-related workplace costs should be viewed as an investment. Key organizational benefits include decreased absenteeism, lower healthcare expenses, reduced employee turnover, and greater workforce loyalty. Furthermore, companies that support breastfeeding are more likely to enjoy an improved public image (Mohler, 2011).

The second step involves guiding companies on accommodating breastfeeding on their premises, which requires the participation of county governments and lawmakers. Workplace regulations in this regard should require reasonable organizational efforts, including: providing a breastfeeding employee with a private space near her work area for expressing milk; sufficient time for milk expression (which may be paid or unpaid meal or break time) until the child turns two; and non-discrimination against employees who breastfeed or pump at work. Some companies view lactation support programs as expensive, low-priority, and logistically challenging — requiring special rooms, additional breaks, and carrying potential liability around the safety and storage of human milk. Moreover, many organizations are unaware of the business benefits of lactation programs, including reduced healthcare costs, lower turnover and absenteeism, and improved productivity, company image, and employee satisfaction. The action plan may also include providing organizations with technical assistance to develop internal lactation policies (Mohler, 2011).

A further step, as outlined by Mohler (2011), involves promoting employer training on this issue. Local birth centers, healthcare organizations, group practice providers, and health departments can offer companies seminars and training sessions on the emotional care of working mothers and the importance of breastfeeding for both mothers and babies. Companies can allocate time during the month for such training or develop flexible scheduling for it. Additionally, award ceremonies can be organized to publicly recognize companies that support workplace breastfeeding.

The final component of the action plan addresses providing breastfeeding resources and support to working mothers. A benefit-cost analysis is relevant when a company considers whether to implement a workplace breastfeeding program. Researchers have cited numerous organizational benefits, including a positive ROI. The basic requirements for such a program are minimal: a private space for milk expression equipped with necessary amenities, adequate expressing time, organizational breastfeeding support, and breastfeeding education. Despite these minimal requirements, more comprehensive alternatives exist through which organizations can cultivate a comfortable environment for breastfeeding employees. Breastfeeding employees also require a place to store expressed milk; contrary to employer concerns, this need not impose a significant burden, as solutions such as personal employee coolers or a shared company refrigerator are sufficient (Mohler, 2011).

Conclusion

Breastfeeding at work is a significant public health topic, as the availability — or, more precisely, the absence — of lactation facilities at workplaces affects babies, mothers, businesses, and the broader community. When working mothers are supported in their choice to breastfeed, the entire community benefits: families become healthier; the environmental burden associated with producing and disposing of formula is reduced; workforce productivity improves due to decreased absenteeism linked to infant illness; and healthcare expenditures decline as a result of improved infant immunity.

This topic demonstrates that parenting, contrary to common perception, is both a family and a community responsibility. The cooperation of every community stakeholder — employers, lawmakers, healthcare providers, and community agencies — is essential for creating a healthy next generation. With the right policies and a supportive environment, breastfeeding and employment need not be mutually exclusive.

References

Bouchez, C. (2016). Breastfeeding 9 to 5. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/working-mothers-breastfeeding-tips#1

King, A. (2002). Breastfeeding: Guide to Action. Wellington: Ministry of Health, New Zealand. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/breastfeeding.pdf

Mohler, B. (2011). Is the breast best for business? The implications of the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. William & Mary Business Law Review, 2(1), 155–184. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=wmblr

National Breastfeeding Advisory Committee of New Zealand. (2009). National Strategic Plan of Action for Breastfeeding 2008–2012. Wellington: Ministry of Health, New Zealand. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from

State Department of Health. (2016, June). Breastfeeding promotion, protection and support. Retrieved October 8, 2016, from State Department of Health: https://www.health.ny.gov/community/pregnancy/breastfeeding/employers.htm