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Working moms getting increased options for breastfeeding while on the job

(Photo via Getty Images)
(Photo via Getty Images)

At a clinic in downtown Toronto the female employees are, in a manner of speaking, stockpiling breast milk. "We call it golden liquid," said Dr. Jessica Kim, director of Fusion Chiropractic and Integrative Health. "It’s probably more valuable than money here." 

The office became a breastfeeding-friendly workplace (BFW) in 2008 when a massage therapist returned from maternity leave after just six weeks and wanted to continue nursing her infant. Kim and her colleagues consider breastfeeding the crème-de-la-crème of nutrition and fully supported the therapist. At three-hour intervals the massage therapist got comfy in the staff room to express milk. This Pied Piper of pumping inspired the clinic’s working women and, when they had their own babies, they expressed too. Now the clinic’s freezer is stuffed with baby bottles filled with the priceless fluid. (Labeled, of course.)

Sometimes there are accidents. “People will literally cry over spilt milk,” said Kim, mother of two.

“I’ve turned the pump off and the little tubes are twisted and it pulls the bottle off the table and the milk will go flying. And I think, ‘Oh my God, my body had to work so hard for that!’”

Fusion Chiropractic’s breast milk pump-and-storage plan evolved organically. And it’s in line with the Canadian Human Rights Commission Policy on Pregnancy and Human Rights in the Workplace, which states that employers have a duty to accommodate women who have chosen to breastfeed. Those provisions include flexible time to pump or nurse and access to designated private spaces (not a washroom).

Given the provisions, what’s the landscape really like for Canadian women who breastfeed or pump after their maternity leave ends? And aside from Fusion, what does a BFW look like? Well, it depends who you ask.

There’s no data on how many employers have the breastfeeding basics mapped out or how many working moms express milk or nurse babies at the office; however, according to Statistics Canada, almost 9 in 10 Canadian mothers initiate breastfeeding soon after their child is born, while 26 per cent exclusively breastfeed up to the recommended six months. 

When Chitra Anand started a new job, she relied heavily on her spouse to deliver a sweet little bundle – their six-week-old son, Taj – to her. “If I knew I had a long day, my husband would bring our baby to the office,” said Anand, who is Microsoft Canada’s head of public relations, communications and corporate reputation. “I’d go outside, get my blanket and nurse him.”

On most days, though, she’d slip into an empty conference room, lock the door, express with a pump, and store the milk in a portable cooler until she got home. When she traveled to Seattle for work, her family went with her. “There was a physical dependency. I told my manager about that and she was very supportive,” Anand said.

Conversations about working while nursing are increasing, says La Leche Leader Teresa Pitman. “By and large people are more comfortable with breastfeeding and talking about breastfeeding and recognizing the value of breastfeeding than they were 20 years ago,” she said. “Companies see it’s a retention issue. If you support mothers when they come back they are more likely to do good work for you than go looking for someone else who will support them.” 

In the U.S., IBM announced recently it was getting into the business of delivering ‘liquid gold’ to bouncing babies. Specifically, when staffers who are new mothers travel for business, IBM will courier their breast milk home to baby. Employees working at local offices, however, can’t take advantage of the perk.

Johnson & Johnson has private wellness spaces. Company spokesperson Shannon MacDonald told Yahoo Canada that while they do not have specific programs for nursing mothers, they offer the use of health rooms, which are designated for use by employees who aren’t feeling well but can also serve other purposes.

She added: “It may be that we have not experienced demand in the same way [as the U.S.] given longer maternity and parental leave options in Canada.”

Breastfeeding still a cover mission for some working moms

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows out there. There are no provisions for maternity or parental leave in the Ontario Municipal Act. For Amy England, Oshawa Regional and City Councilor, this meant finding under-the-radar spots to breastfeed her newborn last year because there’s no nursing nook at Durham Region council offices. She used her office and there was a room behind main council chambers. But privacy wasn’t always possible. “Sometimes I’d be in the main hallway with constituents walking by and I’d say hello to them,” England recalled. Millie is now 19-months-old and England weaned her at nine.

While she’s immensely grateful that Durham and the Human Rights Commission supports working mothers, England is concerned is about women still being able to participate in council business. For starters, she’s interested in seeing alternative voting methods considered.

“If a future councilor has to leave a meeting to breastfeed because she’s not comfortable nursing in front of colleagues, she should still be able to participate in the meeting and have access remotely, via audio, for instance,” she said. “That would be a huge step forward for Ontario.” 

England hopes her zeal for public service and commitment to nursing, will show young woman that they don’t need to wait until their kids are grown to participate in government.

“You don’t have to choose between your democratic right to represent constituents and your human right to breastfeed your child," she said,

"These are two equally important rights as an individual citizen.”  

In other words keep on working while the golden liquid flows.