Starting a Lactation Program

After reading "Corporate Efforts: What some companies are doing to accommodate nursing moms" by Robina Riccitiello, you may know what a lactation program is and why it's beneficial to both working moms and their babies, but what if your company has never heard of such a program? What if you'd like to start a program like this so you and your coworkers can enjoy the benefits of expressing milk at work? Where do you begin?

Start by making a list of what you will need from your employer. First on that list should be "time." Working and pumping mothers usually need two or three breaks a day, about fifteen minutes in length, to express milk. Second is "privacy." If you don't have your own office -- with a door -- your employer should help you find a place to pump in peace. While many women find themselves pumping in the restroom or even in a broom closet, make an effort to establish an appropriately sanitary and comfortable area to express milk. This area would ideally be located near a sink and have an electrical outlet. Third is "refrigeration," though this is not always required. You can store expressed milk in a cooler or insulated lunch box with ice packs, if necessary. Or, some women chose not to refrigerate their fresh breastmilk at all. It can be safely kept at room temperature for about 8 hours.

These two or three requirements are the basic necessities for pumping mothers. Some companies go so far as to offer lactation consultants, available in person or by phone for the first few months back at work, classes on how to manage working and breastfeeding, even discounts on commercial-quality pumps. Perks like these may make it easier for new moms to continue pumping as long as her baby needs her expressed milk, but such benefits may not be available in the early stages of a lactation program. Keep a separate list of "nice to have" features for future reference.

Armed with these materials, scope out your building or work space for areas that might provide a comfortable pumping center for breastfeeding moms. When you approach your boss, if you are faced with the cry, "But there's no room for such a thing!" you can point to specific areas where there IS potential room. Then keep your eyes and ears open for fellow moms who might serve as allies in your lobby for a lactation program. Does your company have an internal parents' support group, email list, or newsgroup? Do breastfeeding moms run into each other coming and going out of the bathroom or broom closet, pumps over their shoulders? Give them copies of the materials and web site addresses you've collected and ask if they'd stand behind you when you approach your manager or human resources department.

Another option is pointing your boss to one of the many professional organizers of lactation programs, like La Leche League's corporate lactation support. These organizations charge your company a fee to set up a lactation program. Included in the fee are often informational materials and seminars to educate employees and their managers about the "hows" and "whys" of breastfeeding at work.

If you run into walls when attempting to set up a lactation program at your company, investigate local legislation surrounding a woman's right to express milk at work. Many states have passed or are in the process of passing laws protecting working women's rights to provide milk for her baby at work. A good place to look for this type of information: Support Breastfeeding.com, where attorney Alexis Martin Neely has compiled the latest information about breastfeeding legislation.

Finally, don't give up. Your successful lactation program will help raise awareness about how moms like you can balance working and breastfeeding. In no time, your company and its employees -- not to mention their babies -- will be enjoying the payoff of your efforts.

About the author: Amy Carey is a work-at-home freelance writer and mom to one breastfed toddler. Amy's work has appeared in Motherwear's Parenting from the Heart publication and on in Parenting's Pregnancy Today web site, as well as in other online and print publications. She can be contacted by email at acbowm@yahoo.com