Breastfeeding rate has been decreasing since the women employment has increased, as women don’t find a supportive work environment
Motherhood is described as an admirable and enjoyable journey of one’s life. But when it comes to providing a supportive and non-ignorant environment towards working moms, there’s no consent.
One of the main barriers women face in the workplace is no supportive policies and rooms for breastfeeding. Barriers usually identified include a lack of flexibility for milk expression in the work schedule, lack of accommodations to pump or store breast-milk, support from colleagues and employers, etc which are proved to be hostile.
The amount of breast milk a mum produces has NOTHING to do with her breast size
How breasts are Over-Sexualized and Fetishized
Boobs? Why, why do people don’t understand it’s just a body part. Boobs are normal, they’re magnificent, people just don’t know it, because they’ve been so sexualized. Why is it ok for people to flip through magazines which emphasize boobs and don’t blink but when you see a breastfeeding mother, you go to the length of shielding your eyes.
This dysfunctional society has made it so fetishized that boobs are always seen as a sexual act and this insanity repulses every human being.
Breastfeeding in public should be normalised, take the initiative yourself so that when the new generation procures, they’re not brought up in such a dysfunctional manner.
As soon as you’re ready to eat your lunch in the bathroom, i’ll breastfeed there!
Why is a woman forced to breastfeed in a bathroom? Bathrooms are places where waste is eliminated and dirt is cleaned, moreover it is not a sanitary place to breastfeed a baby. Breast milk is just a food as any other, a woman needs space to express milk in a clean and private environment.
In the past there were no laws, but now laws can be enforced, a private place should be available or demand for your right. Pumping or breastfeeding all moms cannot do discreetly, a proper private space and clean environment should be provided.
Women in Workplace
In 2012, an estimated 57.7% of women participated in the workforce. The labour force participation rate is higher for women with children aged 6-17 years (76%) compared to women with children less than six years (64.7%). Women with children less than three years of age comprise 60.7% of the labour force.
Businesses that provide lactation support services save $3.00 for every $1.00 spent on those services.
Benefits your Business
Maintaining a proper outlook benefits your company.
Increase in morale and loyaltyWomen experiencing support from their employers and colleagues eases their transaction back to work from maternity leave, which boosts their morale and helps them get back to work soon. When companies take their employees’ interests to heart, they’ll retrieve the same.
MAKE MORE MONEY, BY KEEPING YOUR EMPLOYEES HAPPY!
Reduction in Health CostsBreastfeeding is a part of healthy processed life; and therefore mother and babies are healthier, which results in lower visits to the doctor when equating to the formula fed babies. Reduces future illness; probability of breastfeeding mothers recovering rate is claimed to be high. Since these positive health effects are documented in the first year itself, an employer may endeavour quick returns on investments.
Increase in Employment Rate / Employee RetentionHaving a lactation worksite and privacy for mothers, encourages women to get back at work, lessens post maternity absenteeism which in turn helps maintain a stable workforce. Creating a sophisticated environment helps in recruiting new employees; potential employees who will hear about how the company is supportive of employees welfare will attract great employees.
Decrease in Old Employees Turnover: Experienced employees which eliminates the training of new staff. Maintaining a supportive business results in a positive image of the business.
Parents who successfully breastfeed are less likely to be diagnosed with postpartum depression… maybe because of all those feel-good hormones!
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Exclusive breastfeeding: It’s termed as essential to breastfeed the infants as no external sources of food or even water should be ingested by the infants.
Mother’s breast milk contains all basic nutrition that an infant needs in the initial six month of their life, the infant adapts to his nutritional changes gradually. As this milk also contains valuable antibodies which help infants fight infections as it develops immunity during initial stages.
If mothers are not able to breastfeed for some reason, it is recommended by the pediatrics to use iron fortified cow’s milk infant formula, it’s an appropriate substitute for the babies from 0 to 12 months who are not breastfed or partially breastfed.
Things your baby doesn’t need to be fed during initial 6 months of life:
- Water – doesn’t require additional water during the first six months or before introducing solid foods to them. Breast and formula milk contains all the basic fluids that an infant requires.
- Fish oil supplements – As a baby must require omega-3 fatty acids, breast milk and fortified formula milk already contains such acids.
- Vitamins – Well balanced diet must contain all the essential, vital nutrients an infant requires to maintain healthy immune systems, all are transferred through breast or formula based milk.
The consensus is that no additional supplements are required for the initial six month of their age.
| In Women | In Children |
| Obesity | Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) |
| Cardiovascular Disease | Infections (respiratory and GI) |
| Diabetes | Obesity |
| Breast and Ovarian Cancer | Diabetes |
| Childhood cancers | |
| Breastfed infants also have better neurodevelopmental outcomes. |
Legislation States
- Work schedules must be flexible for the milk expression period.
- Anytime access to private locations for milk expression.
- A sanitary space to be provided for pumping, cleaning and rinsing out breast-pump equipment.
- Storage options shall be available to store breast-milk.
Initiative by a single clan, can do wonders
There has been an initiative taken by certain civil hospitals to set up a corner in hospitals for breastfeeding. This can be used by even visitors. The response has been termed useful, such derivatives also influence other workforce industries to set up these corners to maintain harmony and healthy cooperative environment in the field. This place helps mothers feel safe and also babies can get fed peacefully.
Government and workplaces and society together make a better place where women can openly breastfeed her child anywhere she wants.
Parents need their need to be met:
Maternity leaves are being provided, but still women are seen carrying their babies to their workplace, because paternity leaves still need to be put into motion. After liberalization, women’s employment rate took a toll but since martial and work life wasn’t appreciated in women’s life back then, the rate declined. But now the millennial women have put into motion that they can handle both, all they need is time off during their pregnancy, this when maternity leave was introduced.
It was prejudiced for women that working shall not be prioritized above their child, bringing up a baby is a couple’s job, why should a mother must manage the role alone. Women are forced to bring their babies to the workplace, because paternity leave is still seen as a joke. Why should women compromise her career just because the world is not able to see that childcare facilities should be provided to both parents. Women need their husbands or partners to take time off, so that they don’t feel constrained; this will also help bring gender equality in the workplace and of course as mentioned in benefits your business such positive outlook benefits companies and returns in investments will lead to greater responsibility and attract more employees.
Business being supportive towards parents, providing childcare facilities shall experience high return on investments, as this doesn’t only prove in employment retention but also attracts great employees. Providing these facilities and resources may seem expensive, but this investment of a small amount of time can be easily implemented through more generations of employment.
Breastfeeding rate needs to be increased, so according to the laws employers should put into motion paternity leave and provide space for mothers to pump-out/express and store breastmilk in a sanitary place. Implement work site recognition to honor employers who support and maintain a safe environment for their breastfeeding employees.
Employers should implement programs and policies, accommodate no barriers to working, breastfeeding mothers to maintain a friendly work environment. And also provide educational materials for other employees on how to be respectful and supportive towards breastfeeding employees.
The more you nurse and pump, the more your brain tells your body to produce milk. If you skip a feeding to offer a bottle, you are telling your body to slow down milk production.
Women can use such solutions to breastfeed:
- https://youtu.be/Gq90lnF-p5E – known as 2 tshirt method(solution to breastfeed in public)
- https://youtu.be/o5FpmSHyGyY – reasons baby refuses breastmilk
- https://youtu.be/Ly646CbmOBI – tips on how to store breast milk
- https://youtu.be/jKlasM1M7zY – solution to when your baby refuses breastmilk
- https://youtu.be/pbP8xXEoK0k – advantages of breastmilk
- https://youtu.be/I8vq5VKBRpQ – do’s and don’ts for breast pump
- https://youtu.be/WOQd8QpdmmU – how to take a stand for yourself
- https://youtu.be/V7wtl10dxoE – senator breastfeeding in public- states that breastfeeding is not something you should be ashamed of.
