Norma wrote, as she dreamt of Utopia:  It is my contention that babies who
are not breastfeeding have even MORE need of their mother's presence. They
are already at increased risk for health problems, so surely we can at least
let them enjoy the comfort of their mother's arms?

Well, speaking from here in (relative) Lactopia, that is what protective
legislation on maternity leave could accomplish.  And, if all mothers were
guaranteed that they could be with their babies for a significant period
after birth, more of them might initiate breastfeeding, and if they got it
well established, more of them would continue after their leave was over,
because they would know first-hand why it was worth it.  

I would add to Norma's standpoint that the opportunity to take baby to work
regardless of how it is fed, could reduce ill will between parents who
didn't breastfeed and those who did.  In the case of breaks in the work day
for expressing or breastfeeding when the child is not accompanying mother to
work, only a lactating woman would need those and so it is easier to justify
limiting them to that group.  The thought is a good one (to reward those who
breastfeed), but in practice it seems to me to have the potential to create
more problems than it solves.  

If it is only babies who get breastmilk who are accorded the privilege of
contact with mother at work, you might feel you needed a mechanism for
checking that a mother who claims to be expressing her milk, isn't feeding
formula - and I would not want my employer to have that kind of role in my
life.  I'd like them to pay me for my time, and provide a work environment
conducive to my physical and mental health, and otherwise abide by the laws
pertaining to workplace conditions, as a minimum.  If they wanted to offer
family-friendly benefits, that would increase my loyalty to the company.
That I have had a child who needs care for many years is something I
wouldn't dream of hiding from my employer, but the exact point at which I
start weaning the child from the breast is something I would consider a
private matter, and would hope it didn't have any bearing on my rights to be
near my child for those first few months.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway - AKA Lactopia

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