Pumping in the workplace

Just after I posted on the topic of supporting breastfeeding in the workplace, I see this article:

The mother of all office dramas: New law changing the perception of workplace lactation

It does a good job of talking about some of the challenges of workplace breastfeeding.

On the other side of the debate is this discussion - is breastfeeding really that much better to warrant all of this pressure on women to breastfeed? Take a look at this video where Hanna Rosin, who wrote the article “The Case Against Breast-Feeding,” and NBC chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman discuss whether breast-feeding is best for your baby. I think the evidence does say that breastfeeding gives many benefits - but, as they say in the video, it's not medicine, and it's not child abuse if you don't do it. More important is that women find a way that works for them - whether it's breastfeeding initially, doing a mix of breastfeeding and formula, or extended breastfeeding. But as we see in both articles here, breastfeeding and the workplace are not a combination that mixes well all the time. I'm glad groups like the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington are helping businesses to find ways to move forward in this area.

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