Provision of Breastfeeding in Workplace

Abstract

The recent development in the field of professionalism shows that many a women have emerged as an active employee in different arenas. Amongst these female employees are those whose infants are on breastfeed. The purpose of this research is to bring forward the issues the breastfeeding mothers have to confront professionally. How the pressure influences the life of both the working mother and the infant. The research will discuss in detail the policies and strategies that safeguard such women in the working environment and will highlight provisions that could be implemented in the working place for breast feeding mothers. This paper will discuss how workplace can play a decisive role in the encouragement of breastfeeding. Encouragement of breastfeeding can be beneficial for mother, baby and the workplace.

Abstractii

Introduction1

Discussion1

Breastfeeding and Woman1

Work and breastfeeding woman2

Rationale2

Limitations and Barriers for Breastfeeding3

Breastfeeding and Employment- A myth4

How workplace discourages woman to breastfeed4

Breastfeeding Empowers Woman5

Biased attitude towards breastfeeding5

Advantages of breastfeeding to mother and baby6

Role of Breastfeeding Employee7

Employers and Counseling7

Organizing Breastfeeding in Workplace8

Types of interventions8

Advantages of interventions at workplace for support of breastfeeding10

Policies to support breast feeding11

Lactation Program in Organization11

Positive attitude of Co-workers13

Conclusion13

References15

Provision of Breastfeeding in Workplace

Introduction

The significant importance of breastfeeding on a child's health is beyond measures. Despite many researchers have put forward how breast milk benefits initial growth of the infant many women prefers to give up feeding their infants after they join work. This has become a critical issue in the working environment as breastfeeding has been discouraged at extreme ends in the workplace. The breastfeeding mothers have to face a lot of problems at work. The external environmental pressure pushes these women to give up breastfeeding as they are not encouraged by their colleagues and officials. This unfair sacrifice made by the working woman not only influences the baby's health but over all her own personality. Her confidence is shattered with the discouragement of breastfeeding and compromise the baby has to make at the cost of her work.

Discussion

Breastfeeding and Woman

Even after the evolution of culture and society around the world, breastfeeding still transpires in the context of gender discrimination. The discouragement of breastfeeding in public and worksites reflects the inadequate awareness of breastfeeding within the society. The lack of support for the woman from family and colleagues has become a critical issue (HRSA, 2010, p.6).

Breastfeeding not only benefits the child's health but has a lot of medical benefits for the mother, as well. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast and uteri cancer in the feeding mothers. It enhances the confidence in mothers and produces a satisfaction within her. In Asian countries breastfeeding is considered to be a form of prestige for women. Breastfeeding empowers the women irrespective of them being working or not.

Work and breastfeeding woman

Working women in today's cooperative world have been facing many challenges when it comes to managing between work and family. The liaison between women's employment and breastfeeding has been a decisive matter for more than a decade. Though the influence of work on women feeding ...