Babies in the Workplace

coworkers]" in pursuing that goal.

   Having coworkers readily available to answer questions about nursing difficulties or give suggestions for things to try can also be a tremendous benefit for mothers in the workplace.

   Sonya Allen of the Office of the State Banking Commissioner in Kansas greatly appreciated the ease of nursing her baby at work. She said that:

   If you can have the convenience of having
   them right there, it would encourage you to
   nurse them. Even if you pump, it's not as
   efficient as a baby, and it's time consuming.

   Kerry Olson said that the baby program at the North Dakota Department of Health first started in the Maternal and Child Health Division. He explained that the Division looked at it as a good way to allow mothers to continue to breastfeed.

   He said that a lot of mothers in the program nursed, and he thinks "that has a lot to do with bringing in a child. Most mothers who breastfeed appreciate being able to continue when they come back to work."

   Even if a mother only brings in her baby on a part-time basis, breastfeeding on those days will help her maintain her milk
supply and will make it easier for her to pump enough milk for when her baby is at day care. Since breastmilk can be safely frozen for about six months, a baby program also makes it easier for a working mother to pump as well as nurse and then freeze the milk for when her baby is too active to come to work.

   Given the extensive short-term and long-term benefits for babies and mothers if a baby is able to have human milk instead of only receiving man-made baby