We’re abuzz with excitement for World Breastfeeding Week: Making a difference for working parents! This year’s theme is especially relevant in the U.S. with the recent passing of the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Yet, we remain one of the only countries with no paid family leave.
In celebration of the triumphs and in hopes of a better future paved by the hard work and passion of countless advocates, we’re looking back on Our Milky Way stories in the workplace.
- The 2015 World Breastfeeding Week theme, Breastfeeding and Work Let’s Make it Work!, inspired Alyssa Sheedlo’s, RD LDN, CLC sharing of her story about providing milk for her triplets. Her story was originally published by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). Read it here.
- In a male dominated field, Alameda County Sergeant Misty Carausu blazed trails for mothers working in law enforcement. Carausu was granted an initial three thousand dollar budget to renovate an existing lactation closet at the county jail. Read that story here.
- Laura Westover PA-C, CLC, a provider at Castle Rock Pediatrics, dove into helping transform her office into a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer and ultimate Breastfeeding- Friendly Medical Office.Westover worked alongside a breastfeeding policy specialist to create their policies and lactation spaces through a six-point plan which includes policy, staff and provider training, patient education, environment, evaluation and sustainability, and continuity of care. Read the whole story here.
- Learn about Zambian Investment Management and Banking Professional Musa Imakando-Mzumara’s perspective on breastfeeding and how it fits into the solution of national challenges here.
- Look back on efforts by Scott Behson, PhD, creator of the Fathers, Work and Family (FWF) blog, to shape work policies here.
- Passionate about breastfeeding support from both a personal and social standpoint, clinical researcher at the University of Colorado Dr. Bridget Young, PhD, CLC volunteered her time redesigning three lactation rooms and adding four newly designated lactation rooms at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Read about her efforts here.
We’d be honored to share your story about balancing employment and breastfeeding on Our Milky Way! Please email us at info@ourmilkyway.org with interest.
Cheers to a Happy World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month! Follow the WBW social media channels to stay up to date on all of the festivities @waba.wbw, @wabasecretariat, @waba_global and @wabasecr!
Helpful resources from A Better Balance and WorkLife Law:
Talking to your boss about your pump (Spanish)
Talking to your boss about your “bump”