The Importance of Strengthening Workplace and Health Policies to Support Breastfeeding

Abstract

Abstract

In recent years, there has been renewed attention to the central role that clinicians and healthcare institutions can play to support women in initiating and sustaining breastfeeding through the first year of their infant's life. There has been, however, considerably less focus on how to support the breastfeeding needs of new mothers who return to work, particularly those who go back shortly after the birth of their infant. While many women intend to continue breastfeeding when they go back to work, about one-third report breastfeeding as a major challenge. For many women, the lack of paid family leave, limited flexibility with their work hours, and workplaces that offer few accommodations can make it especially hard for them to sustain breastfeeding. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included many provisions that strengthened coverage for pregnant women and new mothers. In addition to coverage improvements, The ACA amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to require employers with 50 or more workers to provide reasonable break time and a private space that is not a bathroom for expressing milk. For women who breastfeed or who must express milk while they work, having health insurance benefits and Medicaid policies that cover the costs of lactation supplies and support services can make a difference in the decision to continue to provide their infants with breast milk through the first year of their lives and ultimately improve both maternal and infant outcomes in the long run.