Since an increasing number of new mothers return to work shortly or within three months after giving birth, breast-feeding has become a more common workplace issue. Employers now encounter such practical and legal issues as providing nursing women with an appropriate place to pump and store breast milk while at work; granting personal leave, modified schedules, or altered job duties to employees who breast-feed; and dealing with the social acceptability of breast-feeding or expressing milk within the workplace. Federal law does not directly address the legality of breast-feeding on the job or explicitly protect nursing mothers. Some states, however, have passed laws either to make it illegal to discriminate against women who breast feed, or to specifically require that employers accommodate nursing mothers at work by providing adequate facilities for breast-feeding or expressing milk. Even if there is not legal protection in your state affecting your employment, you may be able to encourage your employer to voluntarily cease discrimination against mothers who breast-feed and/or to educate others in your workplace to help improve your employment situation. According to the La Leche League, studies indicate that women who continue to breastfeed once returning to work miss less time from work because of baby-related illnesses, and have shorter absences when they do miss work, compared with women who do not breastfeed. For more information, see Working it Out: Breastfeeding at Work.