New survey reveals significant emotional and physical workplace barriers to

breastfeeding

    MCHENRY, Ill., May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Although many organizations,
 including the federal government, tout breastfeeding babies during the
 first six months of life as the healthiest choice new mothers can make for
 their child, a new survey by the not-for-profit National Women's Health
 Resource Center (NWHRC) and Medela, Inc. reveals 32 percent of new mothers
 give up breastfeeding less than seven weeks after returning to work because
 of significant barriers. This is particularly true of women in retail
 settings, younger moms and those with lower paying jobs.
     Many work environments are falling short of supporting women and
 providing the resources they need to succeed at breastfeeding while
 working. The biggest barriers include no privacy, inflexible schedules,
 lack of refrigeration to store breast milk and insufficient or lack of
 company policies to allow them to take an adequate number of breaks to
 pump. In fact, while 60 percent of the survey respondents believe that the
 perception of breastfeeding in the workplace has grown more positive in
 recent years, 35 percent feel that there has been no change, and five
 percent consider it to have grown more negative.
     Disparities among work environments
     The survey shows mothers working in retail or service environments were
 least likely to breastfeed for six months or more after returning to work.
 Only 23 percent were able to do so compared to 42 percent of those who work
 from home or own a business, and 31 percent who work in other environments
 including office or classroom, factory or non-office and healthcare.
     "The federal government's Healthy People 2010 initiative's
 breastfeeding goal is a 50 percent breast feeding rate at six months.
 Corporate America plays a big role in helping to achieve this goal, but
 sadly there are inconsistencies as new mothers at company headquarters are
 getting more support whereas those on the shop floor are not. In our
 survey, new moms told us their biggest barrier is the lack of a private,
 pumping-friendly environment and for some that means having to pump in a
 closet or bathroom stall," explains Irene Zoppi, RN, MSN, IBCLC, Medela's
 clinical breastfeeding education specialist.
     Economic & Age Disparities
     The survey revealed that more than half (51 percent) of working mothers
 aged 18 to 24 years give up breastfeeding by seven weeks after returning to
 work compared to 26 percent of working mothers aged 32 to 38 years and 32
 percent of moms overall. Having less tenure and typically at lower income
 levels than their older counterparts in the workplace, younger moms said
 they found it particularly difficult to discuss their breastfeeding needs
 with their employers and request their support.
     The survey also revealed the following:
 
     -- 77 percent of moms surveyed say that the flexibility in working from
        home was important in their decision to breastfeed their infant.
     -- 44 percent said they were not able to breastfeed as long as they
        wanted.  This number jumps to 58 percent among younger moms.
     -- 23 percent said that work was the main reason they stopped
        breastfeeding.  Among younger moms, 28 percent felt this way.
     -- Working mothers cite the three biggest physical barriers to
        breastfeeding in the workplace as the lack of a private pumping
        friendly environment (45 percent), inflexible work schedule
        (41 percent) and the lack of separate refrigerator to store breast milk
        (37 percent).
     -- The largest emotional barriers for working moms are the difficulty in
        scheduling time to pump (45 percent), being uncomfortable storing or
        cleaning pump supplies in front of co-workers (36 percent) and anxiety
        about discussing breastfeeding needs at work (33 percent).
     -- On a positive note, working mothers rank lack of management or
        supervisory support and a negative attitude from others at the work
        place as the smallest emotional barriers they experience.
     "In our survey, new working moms send a clear message to employers
 about the most important attributes of a supportive work environment. These
 are, in order, a flexible schedule for pumping breaks as needed, providing
 electricity for pumping, and an office with a door to close for privacy,"
 cites Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, a practicing maternal fetal medicine
 nurse and vice president of the NWHRC.
     With 4.14 million babies born in the U.S. in 2005 according to the
 National Center for Health Statistics, and more and more new mothers
 returning to work soon after giving birth, breastfeeding at work is an
 issue that is not going away.
     "Legislators are beginning to take note. Eleven states now have laws
 regarding breastfeeding at work, but more can be done," adds Zoppi.
     To help women understand the benefits of breastfeeding, overcome the
 challenges of breastfeeding, and learn important tips for breastfeeding
 success, NWHRC and Medela have created a free tip card. It also includes
 helpful hints for new moms to effectively transition back into the
 workplace. Tips include:
     -- Talk to your human resources director about your corporate policy on
        breastfeeding before leaving for maternity leave
     -- Ask your employer for a private, safe room for pumping
     -- Purchase a pump that will work with your work environment.  For
        instance, most leading electric pumps also offer a battery option which
        might offer greater flexibility
     -- Seek out other working mothers that might provide support
     Request a free copy of the tip card, visit the NWHRC Web site at
 http://www.healthywomen.org. To learn more about the survey or to get more
 information on breastfeeding, go to http://www.healthywomen.org or
 http://www.medela.com.
     About the survey
     The Survey of Working Moms was conducted jointly for the National
 Women's Health Resource and Medela, Inc by Troy Research, an independent
 research firm. Survey respondents consisted of 1,000 working mothers who
 have had a child within the past two years and breastfed at the point in
 time they returned to work. The margin of error is +/- 5 percent.
     About Medela
     Medela provides the most technologically advanced breast pumps and
 breastfeeding accessories to nursing mothers around the world. A long-time
 champion of breastfeeding, Medela is the only company to develop products
 based on research by the world's leading lactation experts. As a result,
 Medela's breast pumps are the number one choice of healthcare professionals
 and facilities worldwide.
     Founded in 1961 by Olle Larsson in Zug, Switzerland, Medela continues
 to grow under the ownership of the Larsson family. Medela serves customers
 through a worldwide network of distribution partners in more than 90
 countries and its 12 subsidiaries in the Benelux countries, Canada, France,
 Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, the United
 Kingdom and the United States.
     About NWHRC
     The National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) is the leading
 independent health information source for women. The non-profit
 organization develops and distributes up-to-date and objective women's
 health information based on the latest advances in medical research and
 practice. NWHRC believes all women should have access to the most trusted
 and reliable health information.
 
 

SOURCE Medela, Inc.; National Women's Health Resource Center