The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently recommended that moms exclusively breastfeed their babies for approximately six months after birth. The organization also supports continued breastfeeding with complementary foods introduced at about six months up to two years and beyond. The recommendation, AAP says, is consistent with that of the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, most working moms find these recommendations a tall order. The U.S. is the only developed country in the world without paid parental leave, yet AAP increased its recommendation for breastfeeding from one to two years. Many nursing parents are worried that they cannot meet the recommendation as they are limited by the lack of breastfeeding support.
Lack of support for breastfeeding in the US
In the US, the majority of moms who give birth initiate breastfeeding with their newborns, but only 28.8 percent breastfeed until the sixth month.
According to Scary Moms, this is because there is a total lack of support for breastfeeding parents in this country.
A survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management in 2009 reported that only 25 percent of companies surveyed had lactation programs or made special accommodations for breastfeeding. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees rarely have lactation programs. Most often, babies are not allowed in offices. Many mothers also encounter pressure from coworkers and supervisors when they take lactation breaks. Most moms also do not have a private office at work to breastfeed or express breast milk. They would resort to using the restroom for lactation breaks, an unhygienic approach associated with premature weaning, NBCI says.
Also, there are no guaranteed paternal leave and maternity leave policies. The period of these breaks depends greatly on the company policy. Family Medical Leave Act grants 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees of companies of a certain size. Despite these, moms still report to work days after giving birth because most families could not go on for weeks without a paycheck.
Breastfeeding a baby is a full-time job and is often incompatible with a working job with pay. Pumping also entails time and has its own challenges. Pumping would entail a breast pump and a milk storage place for the expressed milk. A breast pump and milk storage kits entail significant expenses. Another option is to bring the babies to work to breastfeed, but most workplaces do not allow such arrangements.
Some working moms breastfeed at night to improve their milk supply. However, since the mom had to work during the day, she needed to sleep well at night to cognitively function in the morning.
Recognize the lack of support for breastfeeding moms
Scary Moms says AAP does not recognize that American parents need help in breastfeeding. American families need paid family leave, insurance coverage for breast pumps and lactation support, break time and space for pumping at work, and support for nursing in public and at locations such as schools and daycares to ensure that moms meet the two-year breastmilk recommendation.
