Hi, my name is Alison Backhaus and I am a nursing student at the
University of North Dakota. I am writing about working mothers and their
continuation in breastfeeding. From researching this topic I have found
that many actions are taking place to help support the woman’s choice to
breastfeed and continue to work. Statistics show that these actions are
needed here in the United States. In September 1999, the Right to
Breastfeed Act (H.R. 1848) was enacted into law as part of the Treasury-
Postal Appropriations bill (H.R. 2490). It ensured a women’s right to
breastfeed her child anywhere on Federal property where she and her child
are authorized to be (e-mail communication from Gail Ravnitsky, former
legislative Director for Rep. Carolyn Maloney, November 3, 2000). Current
legislature, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, was introduced in January
2001 and is still pending in the US House of Representatives. It includes
four provisions, which include: (1) Protects breastfeeding under civil
rights law, (2) Provides tax incentives for employers, (3) Seeks minimum
safety standards for breast pumps, and (4) Allows breastfeeding equipment
to be tax deductible (H.R. 285, 2001). More than half of the states have
enacted legislation related to breastfeeding within the last eight years,
and nine of those states have laws related to breastfeeding in the
workplace (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2001). Minnesota,
for example, required employers to make “reasonable efforts” to provide
unpaid break time and a room other than a restroom stall where nursing
employees can express their milk in privacy (Gottlieb, 1999).
According to American Academy Pediatrics Policy (1997), mothers should be
encouraged to breastfeed their children exclusively for about 6 months and
to continue breastfeeding with appropriate food supplements until at least
12 months of age. The goal in Healthy People 2010 is that 75% of all new
mothers initiate breastfeeding and that 50% continue to breastfeed for at
least 6 months postpartum (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
2000). Medical experts have pointed to the fact that the US has one of
the lowest BF rates of any industrialized nation (Gottlieb, 1999). Over
three-fourths of the countries in the world conform to the International
Labour Organization (ILO) standards of adequate maternity leave and time
to breastfeed or express milk during the day, but the United States does
not meet these standards. These standards include: 12 weeks maternity
leave, cash benefits during leave or at least 66% of previous earnings,
breastfeeding breaks totaling at least one hour per day, and prohibition
of dismissal during maternity leave (Maloney, n.d.). I was wondering if
anyone has had a patient who was breastfeeding but stopped due to problems
in the workplace? What specific problems have your clients encountered at
their workplace and what have been some successful solutions? Thank you.
Nursing Student, University of North Dakota
Breastfeeding Promotion Act, H.R. 285, 107d Cong. (2001). Retrieved
September 25, 2002, from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?
C107:1:./temp/~c1079SA1yC::
G. Ravnitzky, former Legislative Director for Rep. Carolyn Maloney (E-mail
communication, November 3, 2000).
Gottlieb, S. (1999). Bills may extend working women’s rights to breast-
feed. [Electronic Version] Western Journal of Medicine, 171(1), 55-56.
Maloney, C. B. (n.d.) My work in Congress. Breastfeeding on a worldwide
scale. How the United States lags behind its international counterparts.
Retreived September 30, 2002, from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s web
site: http://www.house.gov/maloney/issues/breastfeeding/worldwide.htm
National Conference of State Legislature (2002, July). Maternal and child
health. Breastfeeding laws by state. Retrieved September 30, 2002, from
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/breast.htm
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