How to Support Women Who Breastfeed
I realize that most of the readers of this blog are not breastfeeding mothers. Statistically, it's not going to be that many of you, even if you take into account the amount of time a breastfeeding mom has to sit and surf the web while her baby nurses. You can recognize the importance of breastfeeding nonetheless, and want to do your part for the nutrition of babies. Here's what you can do.
Help your friends and people you meet. If you see a woman breastfeeding - a friend, a stranger, a colleague, smile at her. Meet her eyes. Don't avert your glance. If a woman is nursing in public, she doesn't want you to look away for privacy reasons. She wants you to treat her like a person doing something perfectly normal. If it's a friend, offer to get her something to drink or a snack.
Help your colleagues. Find out if your workplace has a private place for women to pump. If there is no such place, advocate for one to be established. Don't wait until someone is visibly pregnant; you never know if someone is pregnant or who is leaving their job because they think it won't support pumping. If you have colleagues who are currently pumping, be supportive. Don't make a big deal about it, or be exaggeratedly helpful. Don't make off color jokes or comments about cows. Don't refuse to let the woman store her pumped milk in the communal fridge. (Yes, people really do these things.)
When I was pumping for my son, acceptance from my colleagues made a huge difference. I had to pump in a storeroom so full of boxes that I couldn't even sit down, but my coworkers were amazing and that was what mattered. An example: I used to be very self-conscious about carrying my pumped milk back to my office. I'd scurry, embarrassed, as fast as I could to the fridge. Then one day our vice president for operations stopped me to talk on my way to the fridge. He had a whole conversation with me as I stood there holding my little bottle of pumped milk. As we wrapped up our discussion, he said, offhand, glancing at the bottle. "That was one session? You're really producing well." It was totally natural to him. I never felt conscious with my pumped milk again.
Support good laws Women need the legal right to breastfeed in public, and they need the right to take breaks when working in order to pump. Usually, these laws are state or municipal. Support the establishment of these laws. It's easier to advocate for the right to breastfeed in public than the right to take pump breaks. It is an obvious public health good, and it doesn't cost anything. Supporting women's ability to take pumping breaks at work is a much more difficult - and probably more important - proposition.
Help Women Around the World Support the international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes. Adopted in 1981, the code seeks to promote healthy feeding practices. Learn about the code, and read its text. Then protect it. Even after 27 years, producers repeatedly violate the code of marketing. If you see a magazine or newspaper targeted to the general public that runs advertising for baby formula, this violates the code. Write to the editors and protest. The International Baby Food Action Network tracks violations to the international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
COMMENTS (1)