Everyone wins when moms can breastfeed at work, experts agree

Women may be child bearers, but they should not also bear the burden of choosing work over their babies.

This is according to specialists who argue that women should be able to breastfeed their babies at work.

The comment came as the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) held a round-table conversation in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where experts expressed the importance of breastfeeding in the workplace.

Dr Alison Feeley, a nutrition specialist at Unicef SA, said allowing breastfeeding in the workplace was the right thing for employers to do. She said that when a mother was supported, "you encourage her to be productive and give you her all".

"By allowing mothers the space to express milk for their babies during office time, you reduce the number of days she will have to take leave for her sick child, as their immune system would have been strong.

"That way the company does not have to spend too much on replacements and training - also, the less funds they will use on medical bills, which the company would be contributing to.

"The female workforce is growing, so this is a great opportunity to show support," added Feeley.

Ann Behr, deputy director at the department of health, focusing on child, youth and school health, said if malls could promote and protect breastfeeding, then why not the workplace?

"We are confident the workplace will embrace this. There is no awareness. We are having a site-by-site campaign. We advocate for breastfeeding in the workplace. We need to do more. Everyone should be involved in the reach-out. There are many benefits for the mother and the child," said Behr, adding that her office had been engaging in various campaigns.

"Yes, it will challenge some cultural, religious or gender biases - but that does not mean we should not have the conversation or implement."

South African law currently guarantees that a mother should be allowed to take at least two breaks of 30 minutes for breastfeeding or milk expression each working day for the first six months of her child’s life.

The health department's employer and employee breastfeeding guidebook recommends that employers give new mothers options for returning to work. These include:

• allowing them to work from home or part-time;
• granting extended maternity leave;
• providing on-site or near-site child care; and
• offering professional lactation management services and support through staff wellness programmes.

Another way to assist breastfeeding employees is to set up a clean and lockable breastfeeding room that has a comfortable chair, a washbasin, a refrigerator to store milk, some relaxing music, disinfectant wipes and any other resources that would make nursing mothers more comfortable.

According to the World Health Organisation's global breastfeeding scorecard, longer periods of breastfeeding are associated with higher scores on intelligence tests, which ultimately translates into stronger economic success through improved academic performance, higher earning potential and productivity.

The WHO has set a goal of increasing the rate of exclusive breastfeeding to at least 50% by 2025.

According to the South African Demographic and Health Survey, about one third of children under the age of six months are exclusively breastfed.