Breastfeeding Information for the Workplace

Planning for your return to work while you are expecting can put you at ease when the time arrives for you to return. Talk with your employer about your plans to breastfeed before you go out on maternity leave. For pumps and supplies - insurance coverage may vary. Check with your insurance to learn what they offer, and you can get your pump before the baby’s birth.

Learn about the above as well as the laws that protect you as a nursing parent and solutions to making breastfeeding work in the links below. 

Providing simple lactation accommodations in the workplace is not only required by law, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also notes that a mother’s access to lactation accommodations in the workplace has a direct impact on her ability to achieve the AAP’s healthy breastfeeding recommendations. By supporting breastfeeding and lactating employees, this can foster a more inclusive workplace and improve employee retention.

• One can breastfeed in public spaces
• Employers may not refuse to accommodate an employee’s condition related to childbirth including the need to express breast milk.
• Employers should provide flexible breaks and a safe, clean private place for a person to pump breastmilk or breastfeed their child.

Title IX

The 2024 update to Title IX explicitly defines “pregnancy or related conditions, which requires schools to provide students and employees with private, non-bathroom spaces for pumping and reasonable break times.  Know Your Rights: Pregnant or Parenting? Title IX Protects You From Discrimination At School | U.S. Department of Education