The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which amended section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, sets out requirements for employers to provide employees the time and space for nursing mothers to express breast milk throughout the work day for one full year after the birth of a child.
The law applies to businesses with 50 or more employees, who are not eligible for exemption due to placing undue hardship on the operation of the business. Here's more information on the law that provides breastfeeding mothers with break time at work.
Here are tips and advice on breastfeeding at work from working mom and writer Jil Harshbarger:
Breastfeeding in the Workplace
At some point during your pregnancy, you are going to have to make a decision about whether, and for how long you are going to nurse your baby. If it’s your first child, you may not be entirely sure, and even if it’s your fourth, sometimes things work out differently than you expect. If you are returning to work though, you are going to have to discuss your plans with your boss, so that you can work together to make the appropriate accommodations.
Accomodations for Breastfeeding Mothers
All employers are encouraged to provide accommodations, without putting undue hardship on the operation of the business. You may be one of the lucky women who work at a company that has a nursing area in place already, and you will just need to let your boss know you’ll be using it. If not, you may be instrumental in creating a space appropriately private and comfortable for the purpose. You should familiarize yourself with the specifics of the law.
Hopefully your have already opened up an honest dialog with your boss about your pregnancy, and he’s been supportive so far of the decisions you have made regarding returning to work after the baby is born. You should continue to be as open and honest about your plans as possible. There are a few different ways you might start the conversation about your need to pump during work:
- I’m planning on coming back to work as soon as possible after my baby is born, but I would like to feed her breast milk for at least six months. Is a place where I would be able to express milk during the workday and store it to take home?
- After I come back from my maternity leave, I’m planning on continuing to nurse the baby at home. In order to do that, I’ll need to keep my supply up while I’m at work. Is there a spot that other women have used?
- You know that I take great pride in the work that I do here. I am hoping that I’ll be able to do the best I can for my baby also, and I would like to breastfeed for the recommended first year. Is there a private place that I can use to pump while I’m here, so I can do my best in both places?
Employers want their employees to be back at work as soon as they feel comfortable, so if making a space available for nursing women brings them back sooner, and allows them to continue working full time plus, most will be willing to work to find a solution that satisfies everyone.
Do Your Homework
Make sure you have done your homework, know the laws in your state, the federal laws, company policy, can give your boss an estimate of how often you expect to need a break, and be prepared to reassure him that your time at work will be just as productive once you have this new baby as it has been up to the present.
