A word to business owners everywhere: nursing a baby or pumping milk in a public restroom is simply, well, unacceptable.  An initiative for the Maternity Care Coalition (MCC), in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition, is working toward increasing the number of businesses that support women employees and patrons who breastfeed with their 2008 Breastfeeding-Friendly business awards.  According to MCC, nursing moms should be treated like any other customer and staff should be trained to field any complaints about breastfeeding from other customers.  Pennsylvania law allows a woman to breastfeed in public. Moreover, nursing employees should be given the time, private space, and support needed to pump milk or nurse their babies at work.  "Having to earn a paycheck is the biggest barrier to breastfeeding an infant, " according to Chris Mulford, a Swarthmore resident who has been a lactation consultant for over 20 years.  Chris also serves on MCC's Breastfeeding Advisory  Committee, along with Esther K. Chung, MD, MPH, PHysician Advocate and Swarthmore resident.

Mulford tells a story about a woman who worked as a prison guard who had to return to work after her six weeks of maternity leave.  The mother was highly motivated and wanted to exclusively feed her baby breastmilk for the first six months.  The only place available to her to pump milk was an empty cell.  While pumping, her co-workers would bang on the cell if they thought she was taking too long.  The woman continued breastfeeding less than a month after returning to work. 

"A business does not have to be large to accommodate nursing moms," say Mulford.  She knows of one dentist's office where there were three employees lactating at the same time.  Because the office allowed them the time and space to pump their milk, these dental hygienists were happier employees who were able to stay in their jobs.

In addition to sponsoring the awards program, next month MCC will begin a "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" decal campaign, where businesses can show their support of breastfeeding mothers by posting a decal in their window.  For further information or decals, please contact Esther Chung at echung@momobile.org.

The Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau has also released a toolkit to help businesses understand the benefits of supporting their employees who breastfeed.  Call 1-888-275-4772 to obtain a copy of the kit or visit http://www.ask.hrsa.gov/ to order some of the associated materials online.

If you know of a business that supports its women employees or customers who breastfeed, submit a nomination by June 30 to: Maternity Care Coalition, c/o Esther K. Chung, MD, MPH, 2000 Hamilton Street, Suite 205, Philadelphia, PA 19130; FAX: (215) 972-8266.  for a nomination form and awards criteria, please visit www.momobile.org/breastfeeding/workplaces.html or contact Esther Chung at echung@momobile.org.