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Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
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Fri, 14 Apr 2006 11:18:16 +0100
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>(You may want to take your blood pressure medicine before you read this
>editorial rant about breastfeeding protection in the workplace in Scotland)
>
>Katie Grant: Kerr's breast strategy is fed by men
>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2122967,00.html
>
>The Sunday Times - Scotland
>April 09, 2006


This particular journalist has form when dissing breastfeeding - 
personally I get very cross when women who are mothers and who are 
indeed *breastfeeding mothers* as she is, bcome so poisonous about it.

The irony is that Scotland has been leading the way in public support 
for breastfeeding. It is illegal to prevent a mother breastfeeding in 
a public place, for example, and the infant feeding strategy 
developed by the Scottish Parliament (and now in consultation) has 
many sensible and practical aspects to it. The bit that KG is 
complaining about is only one very tiny part.

I replied to the article thus:

Katie Grant's very cross about a point in the proposed Infant Feeding 
Strategy for Scotland.

It's the one which suggests ways working mums might be helped to 
maintain the health of their babies by continuing to breastfeed.

Katie thinks it's all just too indulgent to mothers (and babies, 
presumably), and highly impractical for employers.

I don't think Katie has read the strategy. If she had, she'd have 
seen  the proposal is simply to formalise existing good practice, 
already laid out in workplace health and safety guidance.

This protects on-going breastfeeding by providing ways for mothers to 
express and store their breastmilk at work, or by offering 
flexibility, so mothers who use work-place nurseries can schedule 
breastfeeding visits.

There's no suggestion that mothers would need to sit and feed in the 
office, or that employers would be forced to allow babies on the 
premises. But let's be fair. If Katie hasn't read the actual 
document, it's not surprising she's got this wrong.

Katie will be amazed, of course, as frankly, she has rather skimped 
on her research as well, but breastfeeding/expressing breaks are 
legally enforceable in many countries of the world, including 
Scandinavia, Brazil, Australia, Canada and in several states in the 
USA. 

Many family-friendly workplaces in the UK already have good provision, too.

Katie won't know this, but it's not at all uncommon for mothers to 
continue breastfeeding long after they return to part-time or 
full-time work.  I can reassure Katie that there is normally no 
problem with unpredictable feeding patterns or leaking (she seems to 
have a particular anxiety about this, and the putative dry cleaning 
bills). This is  because most women return to the workplace when 
their babies are well beyond the what Katie refers to as the 
'hopeless time-keeper'  stage, and long after leaking is an issue.

After all, many babies continue breastfeeding (as well as having 
other foods) long after the recommended six months for exclusive 
breastfeeding, and there is good evidence that this benefits health 
in the short and long term.

I'm going to surprise Katie again: good employers are aware of this, 
plus the solid body of research showing mothers who continue to 
breastfeed after returning to work are far less likely to need time 
off to attend to sick children, or to take them to the doctor. 

So it makes sound economic sense for bosses to support continued 
breastfeeding, and to develop policies that encourage their trained 
workforce to stay with them.

If they don't, these days mums might well choose to swap to another, 
perhaps more flexible, employer.

The Scottish consultation document puts forward many reasonable, 
health-protective ideas;  as it happens, only a few of them are to do 
with work - and none of them mentions Katie's strange fear of forcing 
men to lactate. If Katie's worried about businesses seeing their 
female employees being paid to skive, legislation would put a cap on 
timing and frequency of expressing, as it does elsewhere in the world.

Why can't mothers continue to work and breastfeed, then, Katie?

Because it might be a bit inconvenient to employers? We've already 
seen it's actually good for them.

Because you think expressing is 'vile' and someone might leak 
breastmilk onto the office carpet? Bit of a thin argument to prevent 
the best nourishment for the next generation, don't you think?

Of course women can work and breastfeed without affecting the office 
carpet at all  - I did it, and I know scores of women who have done 
so, for a long, long time, too.

The truth is that Scotland is leading the way in making it easier for 
women to breastfeed and live a normal, 21st century life. Scottish 
breastfeeding rates are still among the poorest in Europe, and 
Scottish babies, children and adults are among the least healthy. 
Sensible, modest changes in the law could make a real difference.


Heather Welford

Interest declared: I am a professional writer and wrote most of the 
Scottish breastfeeding support materials published by HEBS, later NHS 
Health Scotland.


Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK

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