I have been asked to speak at public hearings related to a law which has been
proposed to require the employers to give breastfeeding working women an hour
per day (paid) to breastfeed or express their milk for their babies.  The
writers of the law envisioned two 30 minute breaks in am and pm to allow this.
The control includes moms having a baby less than 12 months old and that she
bring in monthly a peds certification that she is still bf.

I have some problems with the bill, especially the monthly Peds statements.  I
have been asked to speak next Monday.  I attended the first hearings (there are
3 days)today and the speakers were an LLLL and a mom, then the Chamber of
Commerce and the Ass't Executive Director of the Manufacturer's Association (the
latter two spoke against the bill stating the cost and difficulty of scheduling
- especially for small employers).  The interesting point was that of the two
members of the House who were sitting on the committee (due to another very
controversial issue here the whole panel did not attend) one was a mom who had
breastfed her 3rd child and had him on her lap for Photo Ops, and the other was
so well versed in the benefits of bf and the rebuttals for the speakers of the C
of C and the Manufacturer's Asst'n that I wanted to shout  "hooray"!

It was so funny -  he asked the head of the manufacturers wouldn't it be better
to allow women to have their time in order to avoid scenes which could involve
women marching against a company or wearing bands to identify themselves as
employees of uncooperative corporations.  (Nestle here has been sued by a mom
who was not allowed to pump.)

So - what does the LC speak about?  I ask my 1,000 closest friends?
Dr. Ana Parrilla, MD, MPH and prof. for the Graduate School of Public Health
will probably speak of the health benefits and the cost-savings of bf,
Dr. Yvette Piovanetti, MD, FAAP will speak of the health of babies and mothers -
we have a list we use based on the Breastfeeding Abstracts articles -

I was told to have the statement ready by the 13th (though today's speakers
handed theirs at the time they spoke) and have 20 copies to share.

I was also asked by the female member to try to get moms to come.  Perhaps I can
speak of the difficulties moms have told me of  bosses who do not permit pumping
or who refuse to allow a mom time to pump (the head of the C of C did not
believe this ever occurred.).

I have the old Sanvita information, but Dr. Parrilla said she'd be speaking on
that - any ideas?  I have a summary of "the Cost of Not Breastfeeding" chart
from Jacksonville, FL - where was that published?  I don't have the reference!

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, IBCLC, LLLL (no, I won't be speaking for LLLI)
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Puerto Rico