Breastfeeding and Working

"When you're a new mom,

you have a lot of different priorities.

I mean theres so many things

coming at you, and so many

decisions, and so many choices to make

And for me it was very important to say

Breastfeeding is the first thing that needs

to be payed attention too."

"It's nurishing

of the spirit almost.

It's the connection that you have

beyond just milk."

"Hi I'm Cate Colburn Smith.

I'm a business professional,

breastfeeding advocate,

and a mom.

I wrote the book

'The Milk Memos'

about my own experience

returning to work and continuing

to breast feed my daughters.

And we created this video to educate,

motivate, and inspire you to keep

breast feeding after you go back to work."

"I always, always knew, I would

breast feed.

I'm a dietician.

That's the optimal feeding

for infants.

The American Dietetic association

is the organization I follow

as a dietician,

and that's what they recommend."

"I mean we read about it all the time

that breast fed babies

they do better in every aspect of life,

and I wanted to give my son that advantage

that breastfeeding offers."

"It's very cost effective

and you dont have to

wake up in the middle of the night

especially when they are you know, feeding

every two hours.

I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night

and go shake a bottle."

"One of the benefits that I really saw was

I got sick, I wasn't sure if it was the flu

but I did get really sick

and I was scared for her to get

sick, and she didnt get sick.

And so it really protected her

from any sickness that I had."

"It's your time to reconnect with your

child.

The separation between mother and child

is easier when you're nursing,

hands down, no questions asked."

"Just to be able to

unconditionally love her during

that moment I think is

is the best feeling that you can have."

"The American Academy of Pediatrics

strongly endorses breast feeding,

because they know it results in the

healthiest outcome for

babies and mothers.

And their recommendations are that

every baby, with rare exceptions

would be breast fed.

And they recommend exclusive

breast feeding for the first

six months.

We know that exclusive

breast feeding helps extend

the duration of breast feeding

and exclusive breast feeding

gives the most health benefits to

the babies.

These benefits are dose related.

So the more fully you breast feed

and the longer you breast feed

the more benefits to the baby."

"Breast feeding is a natural thing

but it won't happen on its own.

To really make it work,

you'll need to have a plan

and have it be a high priority.

And ultimately remember why you're doing it

it's for your baby."

"So I knew that there was going to be obstacles

that would happen, that would take place

because I heard it from other women

but I knew that it was going to be my goal

no matter what obstacle came up

that I was going to breast feed

up until one year."

"I read something in a fitness magazine

that said if you have to make yourself

your priority

and if youre going to exercise you have to

put your exercise on your calendar.

And I just thought well my baby

is my priority right now and its

the same thing

I'm going to put it on my calendar

that's it, that's my time

every day."

"To be able to pump

so that I can come home

and breast feed my baby, that really, ultimately

because pumping is

as humorous as it is

it's not the most fun thing.

you do have stuff attached to your breasts

you do kind of feel like a milk maid sometimes.

It's not glamorous.

If this is what I need to do in order to be able

to come home and breast feed my baby

that is why I'm doing it."

"It's a means to an end."

"It is."

"As great as breast feeding is

unfortunately some women face challenges

It may be physical issues

or

for some women

there are challenges in the workplace

with coworkers, and management."

"Work was my priority also

unfortunately my coworkers

didn't feel comfortable with that.

They had a lot of resentment built

they weren't telling me

and they would go individually

and file complaints to my boss."

"They would say

'When are you taking home your boob juice?'

or

just little remarks.

But to me it was like okay it was kind of

funny, but at the same time

I knew they were trying to make a point."

"..And her response was 'I don't think that's a good idea.'

and as a professional

you're not garaunteed breaks.

And again thats another point

where, if I was strong enough

and assertive enough

I could have said

'There's a breast feeding law that supports me.' "

"Research shows that

workplace lactation programs

benefits employers in many ways.

Health care costs are lower

because mother and baby are healthier.

There is lower absenteeism.

Higher productivity and job satisfaction

improved employee loyalty,

and a positive image for the employer

in the community."

"We didn't have our first illness

until my son was eleven and half

months old.

So I never take off work

because my child is healthy."

"Them being so supportive

has made me feel a lot better

about coming back to work

and a lot better about staying

with my current company."

"I still met all of my requirements

you know, getting my paperwork done,

making sure that I was

meeting with our clients, returning phone calls

all that stuff."

"A lot of times when I would

come back from a pumping session

I would definietely feel more focused

in my work."

"To me it brought in more of a way

recruit other individuals

for working for that company

because they knew that they were

family oriented."

"All of society benefits when our babies

are breastfed

because we have healthier citizens.

You have to remember that infants today

are leaders tomorrow and so

having a baby that has

optimal brain development from the

composition of the milk

and has the health benefits

of breast feeding.

It is really a win for everybody.

We save significant healthcare dollars

when we promote breastfeeding."

"I encourage you to set a goal for how

long you'll continue breastfeeding

after returning to work.

Know that you can achieve that goal

and even go beyond it,

and that there are tons of resources

to help you.

On ColoradoBreastfeeding.org

there is great information and links.

You can turn to your Pediatrician,

A lactation consultant, and most of all

to other working moms

who have continued breastfeeding

and gone through exactly

the kinds of things you're experiencing."