(WLIO) - It's the most natural thing a mother can do for her baby but yet a stigma is connected with it when it is done outside the home.
August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month and health officials along with legislators are still working to break the barriers that keep mothers from being able to pump at work. The "PUMP Act" is currently working its way through Congress to increase the accessibility for mothers to continue to breastfeed when heading back to the workforce.
"We often hear mom, you know, want to continue breastfeeding but they have to quit because they don't have employer support. Or what do I do about putting my child in daycare? So that becomes a barrier for returning to work if that's something that they would like to do," says Lori Nester, Breastfeeding coordinator at WIC.
Nester says a business plan to allow a mother to pump can be flexible, it doesn't have to be fancy or permanent. They are just asking employers to work with the employee so she can still provide breast milk for her child.
