Workplace lactation support, Part II: Working with the workplace

Several factors, including new breastfeeding recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, increasing numbers of women with young children in the workforce, more women initiating breastfeeding, and a strong economy combine to make this an ideal time to promote breastfeeding in the workplace. In a previous article, we presented a return-to-work breastfeeding assessment tool to evaluate lactation support in workplaces. This article focuses on the workplace itself, presenting a continuum of types of workplace lactation support; the key players in the workplace, new mothers, supervisors, and human resource managers, who are instrumental in supporting breastfeeding at work; workplace philosophies and their impact on workplace lactation support and strategies to help lactation consultants work with companies as their clients in establishing lactation support programs.