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& DESIGN Home Page Architecture Brand Equity Auto Design Game Room SMALLBIZ Smart Answers Success Stories Today's Tip INVESTING Investing: Europe Annual Reports BW 50 S&P Picks & Pans Stock Screeners Free S&P Stock Report SCOREBOARDS Hot Growth 100 Mutual Funds Info Tech 100 S&P 500 B-SCHOOLS Undergrad Programs MBA Blogs MBA Profiles MBA Rankings Who's Hiring Grads | | JUNE 28, 2000 WORK & FAMILY By Jill Hamburg Coplan What's a Nursing Mom to Do? While working on the road, don't hestitate to ask for a clean, private place to pump
My company produces events featuring famous chefs. The shows frequently take place out of town at convention centers, theatrical venues, and demonstration kitchens. I'm a nursing mother and have been embarrassed too many times by leaking after not being able to find a place to pump in time. I need a quick way to explain the urgency of this need in a discreet and businesslike way. -- R.W., New York, N.Y. You go, girl. You're still in the minority (only 2 in 10 U.S. moms nurse for six months), and you're part of an elite: higher-income, college-educated, over 30. You're also a pioneer, knocking down prejudices, and that's tough. "Pumping on the job is uncharted territory," says Wendy Ponte, New York representative of the advocacy group Child-Friendly Initiative (www.childfriendly.com). The American Academy of Pediatrics is on your side. It endorsed "at least 12 months" of breast-feeding two years ago and made increasing the practice a top national health objective. It also recognized this will be an uphill battle. "Maternal employment (especially in the absence of workplace facilities and support for breast-feeding) and lack of broad societal support," the AAP found, are major obstacles. Your actions and attitudes will be a force for change. So, what should you say? Simply be forthright and unashamed. "The more you talk about it, the more people will know there are mothers on the road freezing breast milk every night, that it's part of our working world," says Karen Miller, owner of Boing-Boing, a maternity and nursing boutique in Brooklyn, N.Y. NOT A PROBLEM. Since you're running the shows, you've got an advantage. Schedule breaks into your day ahead of time. Consider offering a lactation room to all attendees (post a sign, or have the reception desk mention the room). It will give you a place that's private, quiet, and clean, with a chair, a countertop, and an electric outlet. Being forced into a public bathroom stall is dangerously unsanitary. If anyone makes you feel that excusing yourself for 20 minutes to pump is "indiscreet" or "unprofessional," they have a problem, not you. It's an imperfect analogy, but would anyone disparage a diabetic who took a few minutes for an insulin shot? This is also a health matter. Your kid will have 35% fewer illnesses than a formula-fed baby. Breast-feeding "significantly decreases the risk for a large number of acute and chronic diseases," according to the AAP (the list would fill this column). It also reduces your risk of cancer and osteoporosis. Chances are, though, that you'll be a little worn down in the process. Nursing looks "natural," but it's neither simple nor effortless. Up your calorie intake and try to sleep more. Find supportive peers by talking to a local Le Leche League leader (www.llli.org) or by logging on to an online breast-feeding chat room, such as www.breastfeeding.com. Get a free guide to nursing and work published by Motherwear, a clothing retailer (www.motherwear.com). More than 20 states and many municipalities have laws protecting your right to breast-feed in public, says Elizabeth N. Baldwin, an adviser to La Leche League and a Miami family-law attorney. In Minnesota, Hawaii, and Tennessee, employers must provide a convenient place to express milk. A similar bill is pending in Congress. California, Georgia, and Texas have incentive programs to encourage voluntary cooperation from businesses. That doesn't help an independent contractor, but it represents a sea change. Take heart from it. Send your questions to frontierlife@businessweek.com.  Jill Hamburg Coplan has covered work, family, business, and finance for the past decade as a writer and editor for newspapers, magazines, and wire services. She left Working Woman magazine, where she was senior editor, when her first child was born and now works solo from a home office in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can e-mail her at Jill Hamburg Coplan  | | |
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