Labor Laws: Breastfeeding & Discrimination

Many states have their own laws mandating that employers not discriminate against their workers who are breastfeeding. These laws say that employers must provide their female employees with a place and time to either breastfeed their infant children or express milk for their babies while at work. A federal law, part of the health care reform legislation signed by President Obama in March of 2010, makes it illegal for most employers in the country to discriminate against lactating mothers.

Federal Law

The federal law, passed as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states that mothers in the workplace must receive adequate time and a private place to express milk for their babies. This law modifies the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

It's important to note that this law only applies to mothers who bring breast-pumping apparatuses to work, not to mothers who are actually breastfeeding their children at the office. The law also states that employers must provide a space other than a bathroom to allow their female employees to express milk.

The law covers working women who continue to breast feed for up to one year after their children's birth.

What The Law Doesn't Say

There are some vagaries in the new law. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper, in a story written by Marcia Heroux Pounds, reports that the law doesn't define what "adequate time" is. It also doesn't define how many times each week that mothers can take breaks to express milk. The law also does not state anything about the requirements for employers to provide a place and time for mothers to breastfeed their children at work. Several state laws, though, do cover this situation.

State Laws

Several states have their own laws preventing employers from discriminating against their female employees who need to breastfeed their children while at work or who want to express milk for their infants.

The National Council of State Legislatures says that 24 states have laws forbidding employers from discriminating against women who breastfeed in the workplace. Though these laws vary, most of them state that employers must provide their employees time and a place to either breastfeed or express milk.

California And Illinois

Two states with typical labor laws forbidding discrimination against breastfeeding mothers include California and Illinois.

In California, for example, employers must provide adequate facilities for breastfeeding and expressing milk. Illinois has the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act, which requires employers to provide reasonable, unpaid break time for nursing mothers. The law also states that employers must provide a private place other than a bathroom stall for nursing mothers.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has its own labor laws protecting nursing mothers. According to the country's statutes, employers must provide breastfeeding mothers with the chance to nurse their infants for half-an-hour during the work day. Mothers are allowed to continue breastfeeding their children at work for a maximum of 12 months. Puerto Rico has even declared August to be Breastfeeding Awareness Month in the country.

How to Get More Breastmilk When Using a Breast Pump

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies exclusively receive breast milk for the first six months of life. However, many mothers return to work well before their baby is six months old, and a mom's milk supply increases and decreases with demand. This fact often makes breastfeeding after returning to work challenging since mom and baby are apart around eight to 12 hours a day. You do not have to let your milk supply diminish and stop providing your baby breast milk earlier than you want.

Instructions

1

Make sure you are using a high quality breast pump. Mechanical breast pumps get more milk than manual breast pumps. You can buy one at many stores or you can contact your insurance company and see if they will cover the cost of renting an industrial breast pump.

2

Pump frequently throughout the day. If you can, pump at least every three hours. You should also aim to pump for twenty minutes on each breast. To save time, you can pump both breasts simultaneously.

3

Breastfeed often. Whenever you are with your baby, breastfeed rather than bottle feed. Even when you use a high quality breast pump, pumps are not as effective at stimulating the breast as a baby. Breastfeed before you go to work, as soon as you are back with your baby and if you can, breastfeed your baby during the night.

4

Avoid stress. Tension can decrease your milk supply. When you are pumping, sit in a comfortable chair or rocker and look at a picture of your baby. This can help you relax and transition from being at work back into being a mom. Being relaxed and feeling like a mom helps your milk letdown.

5

Eat a well-balanced diet. Try to eat foods from all the food groups and avoid empty calories. However, make sure you eat enough calories so your body can maintain your milk supply. Breastfeeding burns approximately 300 to 500 calories a day.

6

Drink plenty of fluids. You require more fluids when your body produces milk. If you are dehydrated, this will decrease your milk supply, so you need to drink at least eight glasses of water, not including caffeinated sodas.

7

Avoid alcohol and certain medications. Alcohol decreases your milk supply. Also, birth control pills that contain estrogen and decongestants decrease milk supply.

8

Take an herbal supplement. Fenugreek can increase a mother's milk supply within 48 to 72 hours, according to Breastfeeding Online. Fenugreek contains phytoestrogens, which are similar to estrogen.

Vitamins for Lactating Women

Women must take certain vitamins during pregnancy and lactation. Prenatal vitamins during pregnancy make up for nutritional deficiencies in the mother's diet, while vitamins for lactating (or breast-feeding) ensure sufficient nutrients for mother's and breast-milk for the baby's diet. The first nutrition decision mothers make for their children has a lot to do with how they're fed from birth, so it's equally important that mothers take vitamins while pregnant and while lactating.

One A Day: Women's Prenatal

One A Day Women's Prenatal vitamins provide nutrients for women considering pregnancy, who are already pregnant and women who've given birth and are lactating. This supplement can be taken throughout each stage without having to change or find new vitamins. These multivitamins are specifically formulated with more folic acid and iron needed for nutritional sufficiency in mother's and infants, as well as DHA and Omega-3 fatty acids to support brain and eye development for infants and toddlers.

nuMom Nutrition: Daily Breast-Feeding Multivitamin

Designed by the Institute of Medicine, this multivitamin is specifically formulated for breast-feeding mothers. nuMom Nutrition says that breast-feeding is a time to move from the pre-natal vitamins to one that provides the nutrients a women's body needs while lactating. Since new moms most likely experience higher levels of stress because of busier schedules brought on by the new addition, nuMom Nutrition ensures that their breast-feeding multivitamins also help mother's with fatigue and stress.

Motherlove: More Milk Special Blend Capsules

More than just providing mother's with necessary nutrients while breast-feeding, Motherlove's More Milk Special Blend Capsules are formulated to stimulate breast tissue for increasing breast milk. Made from all-natural ingredients, this capsule is alcohol free, comes in vegetarian capsules and is blended with herbs like goat's rue known to increases breast milk secretion.

Salicylic Acid & Breastfeeding

Salicylic acid can work wonders on acne-ridden skin. This over-the-counter, topical drug is known and celebrated for its oil-fighting effects on the skin. It also helps reduce inflammation, redness and signs of aging. But for breastfeeding moms, salicylic acid and safety don't necessarily go hand and hand.

Breastfeeding

Breast milk is loaded with unique nutrients specifically intended for a growing infant. It also protects infants against sickness and disease for as long as nursing continues. Additionally, breast-fed babies are prone to higher intellectual functioning and have a reduced risk for developing obesity. Yet almost any drug, including the topical medication salicylic acid, enters into breast milk. This can often be a nuisance to nursing mothers, especially those dealing with acne.

Salicylic Acid

According to the American Society of Health, topical salicylic acid is used to treat a variety of skin conditions (most notably acne) and comes as a cream, lotion, liquid, gel, ointment, shampoo, wipe, pad or patch. There are several different strengths available with or without a prescription, and it should be used exactly as directed.

Salicylic Acid Side Effects

The most common side effects of salicylic acid are skin irritation and stinging. In less-tolerant individuals, serious side effects such as dizziness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea can occur.

Safety of Salicylic Acid During Breastfeeding

Salicylic acid is a part of a group of compounds called salicylates. Salicylates are chemicals naturally found in plants and are used to make aspirin and beauty products. Since drugs easily find their way into breast milk, women who breastfeed should consider the possible effects salicylates will have on their baby. Although rare, aspirin can cause problems such as Reye's syndrome in nursing infants. MayoClinic.com reports that during Reye's syndrome, a child's blood sugar level drops as levels of ammonia and acidity in her blood increase. The liver enlarges and develops fatty deposits. Swelling also takes place in the brain--causing seizures, convulsions or loss of consciousness. Women who breastfeed should avoid salicylates due to its indisputable relationship to Reye's syndrome.

Use Caution

Breastfeeding mothers should exercise caution when using any oral or topical drug. Most importantly, consult a health professional regarding drug use to avoid any unwanted complications in nursing infants.

Breastfeeding & Mild Asthma Treatment

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life. That sounds good in theory, but if you're a mother with asthma and have to take regular asthma medication, you may wonder how that affects your ability to breastfeed. You don't want something that's supposed to be good for your baby to become something harmful, by passing your medication through your milk to your baby. You can relax, however--in most cases, you have nothing to fear.

Misconceptions

The medical community has been careful to make sure nursing mothers understand the potential dangers of taking certain medications while breastfeeding. This has led to a general misunderstanding that any medication a mother takes will be passed through her breast milk to her baby and cause harm. In reality, many medications aren't easily absorbed orally and pose little threat to a breastfeeding infant. Most asthma medications fall into this category. Of course, you should make sure your doctor knows you're breastfeeding before you agree to any medication he recommends.

Types

Most asthma medications fall into one of two categories--inhaled steroids or oral steroids. Inhaled steroid use by a mother poses no risk to a breastfed infant. Of the inhaled steroids, fluticasone may be the safest for use during breastfeeding. Oral steroids, such as prednisone or prednisolone, are fairly safe for short-term use during breastfeeding. If you need to use an oral steroid at doses over 20 milligrams, prednisolone is the safer choice.

Time Frame

If you're worried about the possible effects of your medication on your baby, you can decrease your risk of passing medication on by timing your doses around your baby's feeding schedule. If you need to take an oral steroid, take it four hours before your baby's next feeding. You could try dosing yourself immediately after a feeding to maximize the time between the medication entering your bloodstream and your baby's feeding.

Benefits

The benefits of breastfeeding during the critical first six months of life outweigh the minimal dangers associated with asthma medication. Babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months experience fewer ear infections, fewer allergies, stronger immune systems, increased cognitive ability and healthier weight gain than formula-fed babies.

Theories/Speculation

A 2007 study published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine shows a possible link between long-term breastfeeding by mothers with asthma and increased risk of asthma for the breastfed infant later in life. The risk is still considered theoretical, and it only appeared in children who were breastfed longer than four months. If you have asthma, you may want to consider introducing formula after the first four months of breastfeeding.

How to Correctly Measure for a Nursing Bra

A nursing bra is worn after you've given birth. The bra has special cups that allow you to detach and open them for nursing, without requiring you to take off the entire bra. Nursing bras also provide the extra support that your breasts need after birth, when they're filled with milk. Measuring for a nursing bra is not dissimilar to measuring for your other bras, though you shouldn't rely on a size without measuring. Your breasts change size during pregnancy, and it's important you have a bra that fits well.

Instructions

1

Measure your band size. While wearing a bra, measure the circumference of your midsection right under your breasts and around your rib cage. Make sure the tape is not tight or loose, but comfortably snug. Add three inches to your measurement. If your measurement is an odd number, round up to the next number.

2

Measure your cup size. Measure the circumference of your torso at the fullest part of your breasts, typically where your nipples are. Subtract this number from your band size. The difference between your cup and band size helps determine your cup size.

3

View a chart that details cup sizes that correspond to the difference between your cup and band measurements (see "Resources").

4

Couple your band size with your cup letter size to know the size of nursing bra you need to buy. For example, if your band measurement is 34, add 3 to get 37. Round up to 38. Your band size is 38. If your cup measurement is 42, then there is a 4-inch difference between the cup and band size. According to the chart, a 4-inch difference is a size D cup. Your nursing bra size is a 38D.

How to Deal with Drinking While Breastfeeding

Drinking while breastfeeding is a tricky and touchy subject. The bottom line is that alcohol does enter the breastmilk. It is up to you to choose whether or not you will have no drink, one drink, or ten drinks.

Instructions

1




If you are going to have a drink with dinner: Sip--don't guzzle. Enjoy your glass of wine (one serving equals five ounces) or your beer. Remember, women lose between 300-500 calories a day breastfeeding. Do you want to gain those calories back?

2




If you have a party to go to and want to feel like you are socializing, and "having a few," enjoy one drink. Then, keep refilling your cup with ice cold water. Add a stirring straw and lime!

3




If you want to get drunk, rethink it. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, make sure there is a trustworthy person around to watch your baby. Make sure you have stored breastmilk in the freezer and ask yourself if your baby will even drink from a bottle. How much are you planning on drinking? "Pumping and dumping" does not get rid of the breastmilk with alcohol in it. All it does is help you get rid of milk from your breasts so that more can come in. Remember, depending on how much you drink (see chart in Resources below), you might have to pump and dump again.