# Presentation: 942990

## Slide 1

## Women in the Workforce

**2005 data from U.S. Department of Labor****1 ****shows:**
- 60 percent of women work outside the home
- Mothers are the fastest growing segment           of the U.S. workforce
- 55 percent with children under age 3 are employed
- 62 percent with children under age 6 are employed
- 78 percent are employed full-time
- Growth rate has increased by 80 percent over                     the last 20 years

## WIN-WIN 

- Supporting Breastfeeding is
- WIN-WIN
- for Companies and Employees

## Health Impact of Breastfeeding

**Recommended by major **
**medical and professional organizations**
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- U.S. Surgeon General
- Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
- American Dietetics Association (ADA)

## Health Impact on Infants

**Lower risk of infections and illnesses**
- Ear infections
- Respiratory infections
- Dermatitis
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- For every 1,000 babies not breastfed, there is an
- excess of 2,033 physician visits, 212 days in the
- hospital, and 609 prescriptions2

## Impact on Children in Daycare

**Health impact is even greater **
**on infants enrolled in daycare centers****3**
- Daycare attendance is associated with double the odds of needing antibiotic therapy
- Infants breastfed at least 4 months significantly decreased those odds
- Protective effect of breastfeeding on children in daycare persists well into child’s second year of life

## Impact on Mothers

- Faster recovery from pregnancy and childbirth
- Lower risk of breast cancer
- Lower risk of osteoporosis
- Satisfaction she is giving her baby the best start in life possible

## Breastfeeding Makes Good Business Sense

- Breastfeeding Makes Good Business Sense

## Lower Absenteeism Rates

- 	_*Case Example*_
- 	One-day absences to care for sick children occur more than twice as often for mothers of formula feeding infants.4

## Lower Health Care Costs

- 	_*Case Example:*_
- 	CIGNA reported in a 2-year study of 343 employees an annual savings of $240,000 in health care expenses, 62 percent fewer prescriptions, and $60,000 in reduced absenteeism rates5

## A Lactation Program Gives Your Company Bottom Line Benefits

## Lower Turnover Rates

- 	_*Case Examples*_
- 	Mutual of Omaha’s lactation support program resulted in a retention rate of 83 percent of female employees compared to the national average of 59 percent6
- 	A study of multiple companies with lactation support programs found an average retention rate of 94.2 percent.7

## Lower Health Care Costs

- 	_*Case Example:*_
- 	Mutual of Omaha had a yearly savings of $115,881 in health care claims among families enrolled in the program.  Per person costs were $1,246 MORE for employees who did not participate in the program.6

## Other Benefits8

- Earlier return from maternity leave
- Higher employee productivity and morale
- Higher employer loyalty
- Recognition as a “family friendly” business

## Easy Ways to Support Breastfeeding Employees

- Easy Ways to Support Breastfeeding Employees

## 2005 Breastfeeding Rates Compared to Healthy People 2010 Goals9 

## Basic Needs of Breastfeeding Employees are Minimal 

- Time and space to express milk regularly
- Support from supervisors and colleagues
- Information on how to successfully combine breastfeeding with employment
- Access to health professionals who can assist with breastfeeding questions and concerns

## Components of a Lactation Support Program

- Components of a Lactation Support Program

## Gradual Return to the Workplace

**Basic Needs**
- Gradual phase back to work to allow mother and baby time to adjust to the separation
**Flexible Options**
- Part-time for a period of time
- Job sharing
- Telecommuting
- Flexible scheduling (ex: taking off Wednesdays for a period of time)

## Private Room for Milk Expression

**Basic Needs**
- 4’ x 5’ space minimal
- Access to nearby running water
- Electrical outlet
- Lock on door

## Private Room for Milk Expression

**Flexible Options**
- Private locked office, conference room, or other space
- Lactation room set up in small office space
- Construct walls to enclose a small space in a larger room, women’s lounge, or other area
- A restroom is** NOT **a sanitary place to breastfeed or express milk!

## Room Amenity Options

- Lock on door
- Safe, clean environment
- Chair and shelf or table for breast pump
- Access to nearby running water
- Breast pump equipment options
- Employee could bring her own
- Company could purchase or rent a durable pump that more than one mother can use
- Company could provide or subsidize a portable pump designed for working mothers to take to and from work

## Milk Storage Options

- Employee could use her own personal cooler
- Company could provide a small college dorm room sized refrigerator located in the lactation room
- A public shared refrigerator could be used if desired by mothers and co-workers

## Time to Express Milk

**Basic Needs**
- Two to three 15-20 minute breaks during a typical 8-hour work period (plus time to go to the site)
**Flexible Options**
- Use regular allotted breaks and lunch period
- Excess time that may be needed can be made up before or after work, as part of lunch period, or at other times negotiated with supervisors

## Education

**Basic Needs**
- Prenatal information on breastfeeding
- Postpartum assistance in the hospital, at home, and back at work

## Education

**Flexible Options**
- Prenatal and postpartum breastfeeding class
- Informational materials and videos
- Company contract with a lactation consultant or other lactation expert to provide prenatal education and postpartum assistance
- Individualized back-to-work consult with the contract lactation expert
- Referrals to community classes and lactation experts

## Support

**Basic Needs**
- Support from company managers, supervisors, and co-workers
- Mother-to-mother support
**Flexible Options**
- Worksite lactation support policy
- Training for supervisors and co-workers
- Mother-to-mother support group
- Electronic list serves or company web-based connection network

## Model Companies and Public Agencies

**Large Companies and Public Agencies (500+ employees)**
- Various departments and agencies of the Federal Government
- Boston University Medical Center
- California Public Health Foundation Enterprises
- CIGNA (Philadelphia, PA)
- Fort Lewis and Madigan Army Medical Center (Tacoma, WA)
- Mutual of Omaha
- Home Depot Corporate Office (Atlanta, GA)
- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- Pizza Hut Restaurant Service Center (Dallas, TX)
- Sea World (San Diego, CA)
- Texas Instruments (Dallas, TX)

## Model Companies

**Mid-sized companies (100-499 employees)**
- Patagonia (Ventura, CA)
- Sears Roebuck & Co. #2179 (Medford, OR)

## Model Companies

**Small companies (1-99 employees)**
- Andaluz Birth Center (Portland, OR)
- Childhood Health Associates of Salem
- HCG Software, LLC (Portland, OR)
- Pecan Ridge School  (Canton, TX)
- Western Environmental Law Center (Eugene, OR)

## Beginning a Lactation Support Program in Your Company

- Establish as part of company health benefit services
- House within the wellness division
- Convene a task force with key company stakeholders to identify needs and solutions
- Gain assistance from community resources
- Promote the program with all employees, supervisors, and co-workers to gain buy-in and support

## Who Can Help

- International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs)
- Health professionals from hospitals or doctor’s offices
- Local breastfeeding coalitions
- WIC Program
- La Leche League
- Community groups such as March of Dimes, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, and other local groups

## How to Get Help in Our Community

- [*Insert information about local resources *
*who can assist with establishing a worksite*
*lactation program, as well as provide*
*direct services to mothers.*]

## References

- 1U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau.  (2005).  Employment status of women and men in 2005.
-    Available online at: _[www.dol.gov/wb/factsheets/Qf-ESWIM05.htm](http://www.dol.gov/wb/factsheets/Qf-ESWIM05.htm)_.  Accessed January 2007.
- 2Ball, T., & Wright, A. (1999). Health care costs of formula-feeding in the first year of life.
-    *Pediatrics*, 103(4):871-876.
- 3Dubois, L & Girard, M.  (2004).  Breast-feeding, day-care attendance and the frequency of antibiotic
-    treatments from 1.5 to 5 years: a population-based longitudinal study in Canada.  *Social Science*
*   **and Medicine, *60(9): 2035-2044.
- 4Cohen, R, Mrtek, MB, & Mrtek, RG. (1995). Comparison of maternal absenteeism and infant illness
-    rates among breastfeeding and formula-feeding women in two corporations. *American J of Health*
*   **Promotion*, 10(2):148-153.
- 5Dickson, V., Hawkes, C., Slusser, W., Lange, L., Cohen, R.   Slusser, W.  (2000). The positive impact
-    of a corporate lactation program on breastfeeding initiation and duration rates: help for the working
-    mother.  Unpublished manuscript.  Presented at the Annual Seminar for Physicians on
-    Breastfeeding, Co-Sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of
-    Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and La Leche League International.  Chicago, IL: July 21, 2000.
- 6Mutual of Omaha.  (2001).  Prenatal and lactation education reduces newborn health care costs.
-    Omaha, NE: Mutual of Omaha.
- 7Ortiz, J, McGilligan K, & Kelly P.  (2004).  Duration of breast milk expression among working mothers
-    enrolled in an employer-sponsored lactation program.  *Pediatric Nursing, *30(2):111-119.6.
- 8Galtry, J. (1997). Lactation and the labor market: breastfeeding, labor market changes, and public
-    policy in the United States.  *Health Care Women Int*., 18:467-480.
- 9National Immunization Survey.  (2005).  Centers for Disease Control.  Available online at:
-    _[www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/NIS_data/data_2005.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/NIS_data/data_2005.htm)_