Abstract
Breastfeeding seems to be the answer to so many of our problems. It is a low-cost, fairly low-maintenance way to protect mothers and children from a wide range of diseases and, in turn, saves money for all of society. Given this, I ask, why aren't more women doing it and more efforts being made to promote it? I am doing my part in Congress.
Since 1998, I've been working on the issue of breastfeeding access and promotion when I introduced a comprehensive bill promoting breastfeeding and protecting women who choose to breastfeed. A provision of this larger bill that would allow states to spend more money on breastfeeding promotion and support through the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program was enacted into law. In 1999, my right to breastfeed amendment was passed as part of the FY 2000 budget, ensuring a woman's right to breastfeed her child on any portion of Federal property where the woman and her child are otherwise authorized to be.
And of course, most recently, I worked with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), a longtime supporter of breastfeeding, to pass a very important part of our bill, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (HR 2819/S 1244), into law as part of comprehensive healthcare reform. The provision states that employers shall provide breastfeeding employees, who are hourly workers, with “reasonable break time” and a private, non-bathroom place to express breastmilk during the workday, up until the child's first birthday.
Though we were successful in enacting part of this bill into law, we need to get the other provisions enacted. Your support and advocacy are needed. Your voices are needed to ensure that the American public has the support to breastfeed and that they really know about all of the benefits of breastfeeding.
Too often, I've heard from mothers who are unable to continue breastfeeding because they have no place to pump while at work. They contact my office because they have been fired or discriminated against for expressing milk during the day in order to keep breastfeeding after returning to work. Some have been harassed on the job or have had their pay docked because they used their regular breaks or lunchtime to pump milk. Some have purchased breast pumps that were painful, ineffective, or damaging. We need to work together to solve these problems and educate people.
The benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child have been demonstrated in study after study. One recent study 1 in the journal Pediatrics found that the United States could save $13 billion per year in unnecessary medical expenses if 90% of new mothers nursed their children exclusively for 6 months. Diseases that would be significantly reduced include sudden infant death syndrome, gastrointestinal disease related to low birth weight, ear infections, respiratory tract infections, leukemia, and childhood obesity. The study also found that 911 infant deaths per year could be prevented as a result. 1
Returning to an unsupportive work environment has been identified as a major reason for the avoidance or early abandonment of breastfeeding. Workplace support can bridge this gap and help more women to balance working and breastfeeding.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 56% of mothers with infants under 1 year of age work. 2 And, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, one-third of mothers return to work within 3 months of giving birth, two-thirds within 6 months. 3 Benefits to employers include increased productivity through reduced missed workdays by parents with sick infants and significant savings through reduced healthcare costs. According to one study on maternal absenteeism, 1-day absences to care for sick children occur more than twice as often for mothers of formula-feeding infants. 4
I know that all of the Summit attendees are committed to ensuring the right breastfeeding policies are put in place. We won a significant battle with the inclusion of our provision in the healthcare reform package, and I am certain that focusing on the numerous health benefits, within the larger healthcare debate, enabled us to put the spotlight on this issue.
It is truly a “no-brainer”—when healthcare costs are sky-rocketing and stakeholders' efforts are focused on preventative care, reducing costs, and ensuring our kids are healthy—breastfeeding is an obvious place to start.
I am very pleased by the strong leadership of First Lady Michelle Obama in tackling the challenge of childhood obesity and encouraged that the action plan recently released by the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity referenced the newly passed workforce protections for breastfeeding. Clearly, breastfeeding is an integral part of promoting childhood health and preventing obesity, and the Task Force action plan lays out commonsense steps to encourage increased breastfeeding rates.
Many of us at the Summit have been talking about these types of recommendations for many years—the challenge is to translate these recommendations into action. I am encouraged by recent developments and the attention this issue is receiving. I truly believe the tide is turning in the public perception of breastfeeding, and the momentum we have recently gained presents the perfect opportunity to build on that progress in achieving our goals.