Breastfeeding moms lack support and feel stressed by return

Returning to the office may be a relatively easy transition for certain workers, but for some women — particularly new nursing mothers — it’s a tall task.

Working moms who breastfeed their infants often rely on breast pumps to extract milk to store and feed their infant at a later time, according to a survey of more than 15,500 women released Tuesday.

As several major companies have been pushing their employees to return to the office, many moms have found it very challenging to continue breastfeeding and juggle work, according to the research carried out by Mamava, a company that makes lactation pods for nursing mothers, and Medela, a maker of breast pumps.

For these moms, returning to work requires much more planning, from preparing their equipment at home ahead of time, to carving out time during their work day to pump milk. The Mamava-Medela survey said 61% of mothers found the logistics of pumping — which include packing, transporting, and cleaning pump parts — a “top challenge” to breastfeeding.

Nearly half of women who are currently nursing their children, or have breastfed in the last two years, also said that the biggest barrier to pumping at work was a lack of time, the research added.

More than half — 53% — added that they weren’t sure of their workplace rights to lactate, or express breast milk, and 1 in 4 said they don’t feel even somewhat supported at work.

The research was carried out over two weeks in June 2023. Respondents were U.S. mothers who are currently nursing or have breastfed within the last two years.

“‘We need better education and more inclusive communities and work environments.’”

More than a decade after the first legislative efforts, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect last month — and advocates and regulators say it’s a clear win for new and expecting mothers.

There has been progress at the federal level: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was part of the end-of-year spending deal that lawmakers passed in December. The same bill packed in a range of new laws, from new retirement savings rules to a ban on TikTok downloads for U.S. government-issued devices.

The law builds on employers’ legal obligations for breastfeeding workers. The PUMP act, signed by President Biden in 2022, says employers have to give nursing workers sufficient time to pump breast milk.

The PUMP Act, or Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, was passed with bipartisan support as an amendment to Congress’ fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations package.

While there is no federal law requiring paid medical and family leave, state and local laws might offer paid leave.

There are roughly 3 million women who work while they’re pregnant each year, by one count. While more than half of women were in the workforce last year, more than three-quarters of women ages 25 to 44 were part of the labor pool, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Returning to work is one of the major reasons why women stop breastfeeding, according to a study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health in 2014. Fatigue and insufficient milk supply were also reasons why women stopped breastfeeding.

“Over the last decade, we’ve seen significant progress in education, policy, and infrastructure that makes breastfeeding a more realistic option for anyone who wants to do it — but not nearly enough to support parents in meeting their personal goals, or the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations to breastfeed for two years,” says Sascha Mayer, co-founder and chief experience officer for Mamava.

“Breastfeeding babies is everyone’s job — because breastfeeding benefits everyone,” Mayer added. “We need better education and more inclusive communities and work environments.”

The Mamava-Medela study sheds light on the difficulty underpinning some employees’ ability to return to the office.

But mandates for in-person attendance have become a source of tension between bosses and their employees in general, as many workers resist commuting long distances to show up in person, or prefer the flexibility of working from home.

Nonetheless, the data on who is in fact returning to the office reveals a gender divide: When looking at people who do turn up in person, government data shows that in 2021 and 2022, men spent more time at work in person, while women spent the same amount of time working from home on a year-over-year basis.

Andrew Keshner contributed.

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Aarthi Swaminathan is a MarketWatch personal finance reporter.