Breastfeeding Programs in the Workplace

There are many breastfeeding advantages for employers interested in adopting a breastfeeding programs in the workplace.

Breastfed babies are the healthiest babies and healthy babies are good for business. Why? For one, if you are self-insured, healthier babies mean fewer medical expenses. Breastfeeding in the workplace also increases productivity, staff retention and decreases employee absence rates!

Both the mothers and their employers benefit from lactation programs in the workplace.

Why are Breastfeeding Programs Good for Business?

• Reduced staff turnover and loss of skilled workers after the birth of a child.

• Reduced absences for working breastfeeding mothers because their babies are more less likely to get sick.

• Lower overall health care costs.

• Higher employee satisfaction, morale and productivity.

• Major recruitment incentive for new employees.

• Companies that have adopted breastfeeding support programs have noted cost savings of $3 per $1 invested in breastfeeding support!

• Reputation as a company concerned for the welfare of working mothers and children.

 

What Does Your Breastfeeding Policy Need to Include?

The three main things a breastfeeding policy in the workplace needs to provide breastfeeding mothers are:

Space: Don’t make them spend their break in the bathroom. Have available comfortable, clean and private space for pumping and storing breast milk.

Time: Allow employees long enough break times to pump or provide flexible working hours for moms.

Support: Develop “breastfeeding-friendly” workplace policies including education of managers and workers about the benefits of breastfeeding.

For a PDF sample breastfeeding policy, click here to get a free copy from “HealthAtWork.com.

 Additional Resources:

* Learn the breastfeeding advantages for moms and their health.

* Learn the advantages of breastfeeding for babies.

* To see the AAP Breastfeeding Page for more information, click here.

* The WHO Breastfeeding Page also gives the World Health organization’s policies and information on the benefits of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding Home Page | Breastfeeding Benefits | How to Breastfeed | Nursing Supplies | Working Moms

Everyone hears about the advantages of breastfeeding for babies, but breastfeeding actually has some significant benefits for moms as well.

Who knew that doing the very best thing for your baby’s health and well-being was actually the best thing for mom as well?

The Benefits of Breastfeeding for Moms

Here’s a brief list of some of the benefits of breastfeeding for nursing moms:

*Breast milk is always sterile, fresh, perfectly clean, just the right temperature…no need for cleaning or heating it up at a 2 am feeding!!!

*This is one case where the healthy choice is also the least cost option! How often is that the case? Formula can be a very expensive addition to your monthly expenses that you can just avoid!

* Breastfeeding releases more oxytocin into your system in order to stimulate postpartum contractions. This reduces blood loss and helps return your body to its pre-pregnancy condition faster.

* Nursing increases the rate of weight loss in most breastfeeding moms without needing to diet.

* Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risks to mom of certain cancers including those of the breast and ovaries. Studies have shown that the longer you breastfeed, the better protected that you are.

* Breastfeeding women report psychological benefits such as increased self-confidence and a stronger sense of bonding with their little sweet babies!

 

Mothers who do not breastfeed are at a higher risk of:

—Pre-menopausal breast cancer
—Post-menopausal breast cancer
—Ovarian cancer
—Urinary tract infections
—Osteoporosis

 

Breastfeeding Home Page | Breastfeeding Benefits | How to Breastfeed
Nursing Supplies Working Moms 

Return to Top of Advantages of Breastfeeding Page

The benefits of breastfeeding are for everyone in our society, but the breastfeeding benefits for your baby alone should convince any mom that it is at least worth a good effort to try it!

You Might Like: Nursing Pajamas Nursing Necklaces Nursing Covers Nursing Bras

Best for Baby: Breastfeeding Benefits for your Little One

* Breastfed babies are not so sick! Research shows that breastfed infants have fewer and shorter episodes of illness.

* Human milk is best for human babies! (Cow’s milk is best for baby cows!) Your breast milk is the most natural food and most nutritious way to encourage your baby’s optimal child development.

* Colostrum is nature’s laxative! Colostrum (the first milk from your breast) is a gentle, natural laxative that helps clear out your sweet baby’s intestine, decreasing the chance for jaundice.

* You get a smarter kid! The nutrition provided by breast milk benefits your child’s IQ. Tests show that breastfed babies have higher IQ scores throughout childhood and even into adulthood!

* Secure and happy baby. The close contact encouraged by breast-feeding offers babies greater sense of security and encourages bonding with their mommy.

*A recent study shows that they are also better off as adults with lower risk of heart disease than their bottle-fed peers.

 

* Fewer braces? Nursing is actually best for baby’s teeth and oral development. Baby’s oral muscles, facial bones, and optimal dental development are encouraged by the process of breastfeeding.

* It appears to reduce the risk of obesity.

* Help from allergies. Breastfeeding protects against the development of allergies in some children.

* Protection against disease. Breastfeeding helps the baby’s immune system mature, protecting the baby in the meantime from many types of infections. (I learned this first hand when my oldest was a pretty sick newborn. The doctors were not worried because she was “safe” from some diseases that they didn’t even test for. Why? “Because breastfed babies don’t get those diseases…” Awesome!!!)

* Research shows that breast milk increases the effectiveness of immunizations, increasing the protection against polio, tetanus, and diphtheria through the vaccines.

* Nursing offers protection against developing many chronic diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and some childhood cancers.

* The benefits of breastfeeding appear to last for years even after the baby has been weaned even into adulthood!

Children who are NOT breastfed have an increased the risk of:

—Ear infections
—Childhood diabetes
—SIDS
—Obesity
—Gastrointestinal diseases and diarrhea
—Certain respiratory infections
—Allergies
—Childhood cancers

Nursing longer has benefits, too. Find out the benefits of extended breastfeeding here…

 

---

Other Breastfeeding Benefits….

One of the sweetest benefits of breastfeeding, for years after it is over, is the collection of stories all moms have to share. If you’d like to share your breastfeeding stories with us, click here to share it with us and our readers.

Additional Resources:

* Learn the advantages of breastfeeding for moms and their health.

* Learn the advantages of breastfeeding for employers.

* Learn how breastfeeding reduces cancer risks!

* Learn how breastfeeding saves you money!

* To see the AAP Breastfeeding Page for more information, click here.

* The WHO Breastfeeding Page also gives the World Health organization’s policies and information on the benefits of breastfeeding.

 

---

Where Do You Want to Go Next?

Want some tips on Storing Breast Milk?

…to see our breastfeeding
supplies Top 10 list?

….or to see the our favorite nursing dresses?

….or see where you can find the
best free baby stuff?

 

Return from Benefits of Breastfeeding page to
our Home Page