How Supporting Breastfeeding Employees Benefits You As An Employer
Tags: Employees, Employee Experience, Mothers, Motherhood, Breastfeeding

When Mrs Taiwo became pregnant, it began a series of events that broke a happy relationship with her employer.

Even though she was pregnant, she continued her late nights closure. Then, she had to navigate the popular 3 months of inadequate and unpaid maternity leave.

When she resumed work, she had to be separated from her baby because her workplace like most organisations had no provision for breastfeeding in office spaces. This denied the baby the recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, and she — suffered the excruciating pain of engorged breast.

“I think 3-month maternity leave is not enough! I wasn’t able to breastfeed my baby for 6 months. The first month I resumed I always had engorged breast which was painful. I usually go to the office with my breast pump but there was no place to extract breast milk for my baby.”

This string of incidents broke her trust with the company.

It is the breastfeeding week and the aim of this article is to spark a discussion and proffer a lasting solution to breastfeeding in offices.

Challenges faced by breastfeeding women

Breastfeeding is a challenging phase. Women who breastfeed experience varying levels of bodily and emotional changes that affect their overall health and productivity. A breastfeeding woman spends her day alternating between different emotional charges like weariness, discomfort, anxiety and happiness.

Breastfeeding requires a huge commitment, working while breastfeeding is like juggling two full-time jobs at the same time. The reality of doing both is a very challenging one that easily gets women drained.

Supporting breastfeeding women in the workplace

Workplaces that support the process are usually rewarded with a more committed, productive and loyal employee. Because lending support is a statement of intent that shows ‘we care about you and your infant.’

Here are ways organisations can support breastfeeding mothers.

Provide a lactation room

Otherwise known as the pumping room, there is probably no greater gift an organisation can gift a returnee nursing mother than giving her keys to an exclusive pumping room.

A pumping room is a private place for nursing mothers to comfortably breastfeed their infants or pump milk to store. It should have comfortable chairs, tables, a refrigerator (to store milk), a door and electricity. Some organisations turn the pumping room to the workspaces of the nursing mother. With this arrangement, she can spend ample time with her child, pump milk easily and still get the job done.

And, having a pumping room saves the embarrassment of going to the kitchen or unhealthy bathroom to pump.

2. Flexible breaks and work options

Breastfeeding moms with babies less than 6 months are urged to express milk every 3 hours. This is a big task for those that work in organisations with an unfriendly schedule.

Hence, organisations should kindly provide a flexible schedule plus frequent breaks for breastfeeding moms.

3. Promote a breastfeeding culture

Though subtle, some organisations actually leave traces that breastfeeding in the workplace is not a welcome idea. The attitude towards breastfeeding is negative, they don’t provide any sort of support to breastfeeding women. This damages the confidence of women to breastfeed when they are at work.

4. Education

Going extra to organize lactation classes and providing resources on breastfeeding is another great way to show support.

Providing care for lactating mums has become more important than ever. Today, women form an active proportion of the workplace; and it is even common for women to be the majority in some workspaces.

Hence, showing support for breastfeeding women is adding value to women (employees), the family unit, the society and the organisation as a whole.

Benefits

You get to keep your best staff You spend less on health care You build a pool of loyal and more productive employees There will be reduced absenteeism because the baby and mother are more healthy

Employer’s Pledge To Supporting Breastfeeding Moms

“Family-friendly policies — such as paid parental leave — enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and bond with their children in early life, when it matters most.” #Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding.

“Family-friendly policies are particularly important for working parents. Mothers need time off from work to recover from birth and get breastfeeding off to a successful start.” #Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding.” — World Health Organisation (WHO, 2019)