Babies in the Workplace

people who are eager to play with a baby for a few minutes at a time. Mothers are happier because they are among friends, and babies are happier because their needs for human interaction are met. In addition, a happy baby often directly translates to a happy mom.

   Kristin Pearson of Health Newsletters discussed the isolation of new parents, explaining that when her children were born, she stayed home for twelve weeks. As she put it, "man, it was tough." She
explained that she did not have family around, and she said

   It would have been extremely helpful to be
   around other people who could provide
   insights, advice, and just give adult
   conversation.

   Shannon Cummins of Health Newsletters explained that she had worked

for eight years before she had her first child. She was very dedicated to her job and said that she really felt being able to bring her babies to work was better for her than being home alone with them. As she explained, "I was never a person who was good at sitting home and doing stuff. You can only clean your apartment so many times." She said that she felt that "getting people back to doing what they find valuable is a big benefit" that comes from baby programs.

   JaLynn Copp, of the Kansas Insurance Department, explained that returning to the social environment of work with her baby definitely helped her mental state. She said

   I had taken two months off. After one
   month, I was like, 'I gotta get back to work.'
   I love [my baby] to death, but I'm just not
   very domesticated. I was going stir-crazy.
   [My baby] was sleeping all the time--they're
   not really playing at that age--and there's a
   limit to how much TV I could watch.