Awaiting the signature of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is a bill, given final approval by the state Assembly at the end of last week, that will require health insurances to cover lactation consultations and breast pump rentals for mothers who need them.
This bill has such tremendous potential to help mothers breastfeed. I know the value of a lactation consultant.
In my first few weeks of breastfeeding, we encountered so much difficulty. Even though we and had several knowledgeable people helping us, we required the help of an IBCLC. Twice. The first charged about $200 for a 2-hour assessment and in-depth counseling session. The second was supposed to be $120 for the 2-hour session, but she took pity on us and only charged half.
My job gives me good health insurance, but this was still 100% out of pocket. Cheaper than paying for formula and extra health care costs, but still. Ouch. This kind of help is completely inaccessible to so many mothers. Yet for me, it was essential to breastfeeding. Those two sessions saved us and got us on track to good nursing.
For more information about the bill, see this fact sheet and a brief news report from the LA Times. Read the final text of the bill here. It even includes background on why it is important to protect and support breastfeeding.
Sign it, Arnold. Sign it!
Hey Christina,
I really enjoy your blog. I’d like to hear your thoughts on California’s (and other states’) breastfeeding in public legislation. Mothering magazine reports on it a bit, but I’d love to learn more about Californians’ rights specifically, and what we can do to give mothers more freedom.
yes, sign it, Arnold! I am really impressed that you are doing some real significant work in the field of brestfeeding rights. In the long run, society will benefit greatly, since human milk is so important to the health of our youngest, and to their brain development.
My impression of the law in California is that breastfeeding in public is pretty well protected. The problems come from lack of awareness of the law. I wonder how many mothers are asked to cover up, move, or stop breastfeeding, and they comply because they don’t know their rights or are too embarrassed to speak up.
I’m not as familiar with other states, but I did find this site that lists all the laws and some of the unique pieces of legislation in various states.
One major drawback in California, as I just witnessed today, is the phrase “except the private home or residence of another”. My coworker had a client today who is homeless, staying in a group home with her infant. They have insisted that she is not allowed to breastfeed in front of others, and the home is considered a private residence. So it seems that she is not protected in this situation. What do you think?