From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
Cramped airplane bathrooms. Steamy hot cars. Filthy utility closets. These are just some of the places that breastfeeding moms have had to pump breastmilk because they didn’t have access to anything better.
Go to https://action.momsrising.org/sign/support_all_breastfeeding_working_moms_2021 and add your name to our letter calling on Congress to support working moms who don’t have adequate spaces to pump and store breastmilk at work.
Right now 60% of moms find themselves pumping in less than ideal places (like in a coat check closet?!?!). [1] It shouldn’t have to be that way and working together we can help change it!
That’s why MomsRising launched #IPumpedHere, a “laugh (so you don’t cry) and then demand change” campaign to bring breastfeeding women out of the bathroom stalls, inside from the cars, and into the pumping rooms they deserve.
Moms across the country have been sharing photos and stories of the places they’ve pumped on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
MomsRising Member Lauren from Illinois shared, “I wish that I had more support while breastfeeding, in the workplace, in particular. I had to pump – and was only allowed to on my lunchtime, NOT enough to maintain my breastmilk supply – in my car! Only when it became so freezing outside did I then have to go inside to a cramped bathroom with no counter space for supplies.”
Lauren deserves better! Breastfeeding moms across the country deserve better!
Right now many moms plan to breastfeed but hit seemingly insurmountable hurdles when they return to work. Returning to the workplace in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional challenge. Sadly, returning to work is too often a significant barrier to breastfeeding. [2]
The simple truth is that not everyone has the time or place to pump. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), women who work an hourly job and some salaried workers must be provided with a reasonable break time to express breast milk up to one year after birth and a place, other than a bathroom, where they can pump. [3]
Together we can bring moms out of the bathroom stalls and into the pumping rooms they deserve!
P.S. Be sure to check out IPumpedHere.org to see our hilarious videos, find out more information about your pumping rights, and see even more pictures from moms across the country. Add your own pics by using the hashtag #IPumpedHere and sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
[1] Univ. of Minnesota Academic Health Center National Study[2] Surgeon’s General Call to Action on Breastfeeding
[3] Break Time for Nursing Mothers under the FLSA
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