Babies in the Workplace

Babies in the Workplace   8

9  Benefits for Society

human mother providing human milk to her human child.    Interestingly, our culture's discomfort with breastfeeding is actually more restrictive than in some cultures that are far more uncomfortable with women's bodies in public.  A friend of mine grew up in Israel.  She remembers regularly seeing Islamic women covered from head to toe in burqas but breastfeeding their babies in public. Islamic culture apparently requires that women's bodies be covered except as necessary--and breastfeeding is considered to be necessary.  But in western society, where female models on billboards and on television often show more skin than the typical nursing mother, mothers are sometimes asked to leave public areas even when they're nursing their child under a blanket.

Babies in the workplace, and the increased exposure to breastfeeding from these programs, can help with all of these issues.    Mary Admasian of Zutano explained that they actively try to encourage other companies to implement baby-to-work programs because they think that breastfeeding is so important for babies and mothers.  She said that Zutano allows parents to bring their babies for "up to a year--which is one of the most important times [for babies] to be with their mother."  She said that mothers at Zutano nurse while they're working and sometimes in meetings.  As baby programs are implemented at more companies and breastfeeding returns to being seen as the "norm," our society will become more comfortable and supportive of nursing mothers, rates of breastfeeding will increase, and everyone will benefit.