If you're currently pregnant or trying to conceive, you've probably got a lot of questions and tons of concerns to address. Will you use cloth or disposable diapers? Breastfeed, bottle feed, or both? How will you handle child care when you return to work...if you even go back?
Well, no one answer is perfect for every family, but for those moms who choose to breastfeed, returning to work can sometimes be a conundrum. If you are a small business owner or work from home, you probably have more flexibility to adapt to your child's feeding schedule, and more opportunities to find (or make) a private spot to pump if your baby can't head into the office with you. Those who are in corporate cubicles, however, don't have as many options. While some employers are very family-friendly, including providing mother's lounges and ample breaks for those who need to pump, not all are so prepared, or well-educated about the benefits of being family friendly.
Abbott Laboratories' Ross Products Division and Working Mother magazine have banded together to form the Business Backs Breastfeeding (TM) program to help employers understand the benefits to both employees and businesses. Since family-friendly policies help companies retain employees, nursing mothers who are supported adequately are much more likely to return to work, saving companies the time and money involved with recruiting, hiring, and training replacement workers. Why wouldn't they get involved and ensure moms are comfortable, capable, and less distracted at work because family issues are handled when they need to be?
If your HR department could use some information about such programs, you can download a free copy of Business Backs Breastfeeding over at WorkingMother.com or Ross.com. As they say in the program literature, even if a workplace can't create a program at this time, you've certainly performed a helpful task by bringing the matter to their attention. In the future, another nursing mom might well benefit from your efforts to educate your employer!
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