Welcome, Readers of September’s Carnival of Breastfeeding! After you read this, check out the other posts on this month’s theme of “breastfeeding and work” linked at the bottom of this post.
This month, my breast pump and I went back to work full-time, AND we were summoned to jury duty for a week-long trial. I have lactation accommodations on my mind!
Returning to work, or plans to return to work, is a common reason mothers cite for weaning early from the breast, supplementing with formula, or never breastfeeding. Breastfeeding rates in the US drop sharply at 3 months, which corresponds to when most women exhaust their maternity leave and return to work.
It doesn’t have to be this way. I came across this study a couple years ago in grad school because one of the co-authors was my advisor. It makes sense that if an employer offers support and makes it easier to pump at work, the employees will breastfeed longer. But this study demonstrates the tremendous extent to which employer support, accommodations, and education, can encourage employee breastfeeding.
A study of WIC employees and breastfeeding
The researchers surveyed employees of the WIC Program (aka The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) at several sites in California. You may already know of the WIC Program. Nearly half of all infants born in the US receive WIC benefits. WIC is the #1 purchaser of infant formula in the United States. Yet, in recent years, it has also become the country’s largest breastfeeding education and support program. It turns out that WIC is also an excellent supporter of breastfeeding among their own employees.
The study results were astounding. Here is what they found:
- 99% of the WIC employees in the survey initiated breastfeeding.
- The average duration of breastfeeding was 10.2 months.
- 87% breastfed to at least 6 months, and 68% breastfed to 12 months or longer.
- More than 48% never introduced formula.
Now, these numbers may not sound impressive to many readers of this blog. We know that babies should be breastfed for at least a year, and exclusive breastfeeding (no artificial milks) is best. By these standards, the study subjects fall short.
But compare these numbers to recent national averages. 36% breastfeed to 6 months. Fewer than 20% of mothers breastfeed for a full year, and the number who exclusively breastfeed this long without introducing formula is far lower.
And consider the background of these mothers who are employed by WIC. 80% are paraprofessional staff, with a high school diploma or equivalent. They are working full-time. In my experience, many WIC paraprofessional staff are, or have been, WIC participants themselves. In the US, breastfeeding is inversely associated with education and income levels. The more education, and the more money she makes, the more likely she is to breastfeed. Mothers who have not been to college, earn low to moderate wages, and work full-time have tremendous barriers to breastfeeding and not surprisingly, have some of the lowest breastfeeding rates. The WIC employees who participated in this study confound the expected trends of breastfeeding cessation.
What keeps these WIC employees breastfeeding?
- On-site breast pumps and pumping facilities. Many WIC agencies provide high-quality, hospital-grade breast pumps for employee use.
- Breastfeeding support groups and an environment of support. Most WIC agencies employ at least one International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) and WIC breastfeeding peer counselors. Some agencies offer employee breastfeeding support groups, and many offer such groups to the community. WIC employees who are breastfeeding have access to help and support on-site.
- Breastfeeding education. WIC staff receive regular and ongoing training in breastfeeding for the purpose of assisting their clients with breastfeeding. Staff are made aware of the risks of formula use and the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. This on-the-job training impacts personal decisions about intention to breastfeed and motivation to continue.
The researchers conclude, “It is clear that full-time employment and breastfeeding can be compatible given appropriate worksite support.” This type of support obviously works. But WIC is a maternal-child health organization with ample resources to support breastfeeding employees. Could these strategies be implemented at other types of work sites?
I could see a very large organization providing pumps for their lactation rooms (some already do!!) And perhaps arranging a support group for breastfeeding employees to meet periodically. But I imagine a big part of what worked so well for the WIC employees in this study was the culture of breastfeeding: the training and reinforcement that is inherent in the work of their jobs.
Can this be duplicated somehow in other, non-breastfeeding-related workplaces? How far should an employer go to provide support for breastfeeding employees? Moms, what has your experience been with working outside the home and breastfeeding/pumping? What makes for a great employee breastfeeding support system? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Other Carnival of Breastfeeding Posts:
Breastfeeding Moms Unite: Breastfeeding At My Family Daycare
Momnesia The Book: Sorry, Facilities Guy
Marshins: Taking Your Working Boobs To Work
Strocel: Working and Breastfeeding a Toddler
The Marketing Mama: Working and Pumping
Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: Breastfeeding and working is possible, and you can make it work
Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: Do You Really Need a Pump?
Vanderbilt Wife: I Think This Officially Makes Me a Mommy Blogger
BabyREADY: What About Breastfeeding When I Go Back To Work?
Stork Stories: My Breast Pump and I Didn’t Get Along and guest post at Breastfeeding Mothers Unite: Ask an LC: What About Pumping?
Breastfeeding 1-2-3: Tips for Breastfeeding and Working (note the 3 quotes written by me in this post!)
Breastfeeding Mums: Breastfeeding and Working in the UK
Blacktating: The 5 Biggest Mistakes Working and Pumping Moms Make
Mum Unplugged: This is a Breastfeeding Office
Best For Babes: Beating the Employment Booby Trap
My World Edenwild: Nursing Mothers Need Workplace Support
I am only able to pump twice a day at work at 10:30am and 3:30pm. It’s not ideal, but there’s nothing else I can do. I teach elementary school and other than those two times of the day, I have students in my room. So far it is working out ok, especially since I pump on the weekend as well to give me some extra milk if I need it for the week. I also froze a lot over the summer as well. I pump in my classroom and have my own little fridge to store my milk. The only thing that could make things better is if I could get someone to cover my class for 20 min in the middle of the day so I can pump….but my boss said no to that
It’s also hard because I use my only time away from children to pump and have to bring a lot of work home. It’s all worth it though. I LOVE nursing 
Angie- glad you were able to make it work for you even though it’s not ideal. Are you supervising kids at lunch? It’s tough when all your break time is taken up by pumping.
I am Canadian, and so I returned to work at 1 year. I did not pump, though I continued to breastfeed. So I’m not a very good example and I don’t have much to offer.
However, I wanted to say that the results of this study are great. I hope that they encourage more employers, and hopefully government and other policymakers, to implement pro-breastfeeding policies. It only stands to reason that the fewer barriers a woman faces, and the more encouragement she receives, the easier it will be to make breastfeeding work. Babies deserve no less.
Amber- Oh, how I envy the Canadian maternity system!! When will the United States catch up? The study truly is promising. I have heard of WIC agencies sponsoring awards to breastfeeding-friendly employers in the community and doing press releases for it, although none of the agencies I’ve worked with have done it. Maybe that will be my next project
I think it is good to learn manual expression of milk, even if you have access to a pump. It takes some practice, but can work well for many moms.
Yes, there’s actually a really interesting post about that linked at the end of this one, Do You Really Need A Pump? You should read it.
I worked as a contractor on site at a company, and I was able to pump when I needed to. However, I think it’s hard because the workday starts to get away from you – people want to meet, they are stopping by, e-mails are coming in. It isn’t always easy to pull away for pumping. But I did it – and actually it offered a nice break. I was able to sit and think about things, catch up on reading, etc.
It’s good to hear you actually enjoyed your pumping breaks! I didn’t enjoy my pumping at work much until I just recently discovered the hands-free pumping devices. I am pumping right now as I type
This is one of my favorite posts! There are a lot of problems with WIC, but this is one place where they’ve gotten it right. Thank you for bringing this study to my attention, I hadn’t heard of it before.
Thanks, Elita! I’m glad you found it interesting, too. I’ll be doing more blogging on the controversies and problems of WIC in the near future. It’s a topic close to home for me: it was my first career, which I left, and problems, frustrations, ethical dilemmas and all, I have come back to.
I’ve been pumping at work ever since I returned to work 3 months ago from maternity leave. I went from pumping 3 times a day at 11am, 2pm, and 3pm to pumping now only twice a day at noon and before I leave work at 5pm. Even though I have an extremely supportive boss (she used to be a La Leche League group leader!) and my own office with a locking door, I still find it difficult to pump consistently. It’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day tasks that before I know it it’s almost 1pm, my breasts are sore, I need need to pump NOW!
Thanks for this article – I’ve added your blog to my Google reader and I look forward to reading more!
Can’t get much better than having a La Leche League leader as a boss. So glad to hear you enjoyed this!
Great post – I only recently learned how much WIC supports breastfeeding of their clients because one of my cousins is pregnant and receiving WIC benefits. I think it’s AWESOME (and certainly cheaper for everyone, too). Great to hear their stats on being an employer as well. Those numbers are SUPER-impressive. Way to go WIC!
I’m always glad to hear when WIC participants get GOOD breastfeeding support from their local WIC agency, like your cousin. Unfortunately not every WIC site is that supportive of breastfeeding, but that seems to be changing as funding for breastfeeding education and support grows.
As someone who works for WIC, I would like to thank you for this post. I started my job as a breastfeeding peer counselor when my son was 9 months old, and can’t imagine a work environment more supportive of BF. In fact, if I had another child, I would be not only allowed, but encouraged to bring the baby to work with me for at least 6 months. There’s no better way to model breastfeeding than with your own nursing baby! On the other hand, the vast majority of my clients don’t have the same support. Not only are they returning to work full time at 6 weeks or even sooner, most of their employers have little to no knowledge about the normality of breastfeeding and the risks of formula. For the most part, there is a strong correlation between being a stay-at-home-mom and duration of BF.
On a side note, you would be interested to know that in Oklahoma, breastfeeding mothers are by law excused from jury duty.
JeneeLyn- Woohoo! I’m thrilled to hear you have so much support for breastfeeding at your WIC agency!! I have heard of sites that allow baby to come to work, and I wish that were more widely available. Thanks for the comment.