Maybe you live in one of the states, like California, New York, and Tennessee, that require employers to provide time and clean space (not a bathroom stall) to pump at work.
But if you don't, and you're having trouble, as this Ohio mother did, getting your employer to support you in these ways, you might consider enlisting your doctor's help.
Here are several templates for doctors' letters to your employer. You might ask your pediatrician or your obstetrician to sign one.
And here's a letter to your human resources manager making a similar request. I always recommend that mothers talk with their human resources office about their pumping needs. Your immediate boss may not know much about pumping - and in some cases may really, really not want to talk about it!
Here's the text of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services letter, with a few suggested edits from me:
I am writing on behalf of ____________________ and ________________________. (Mother’s Name/Baby’s Name) [Note: I'd suggest that the physician identify her/himself here as the doctor of the mother or baby]
This mother will soon be returning to work at your facility. I have strongly advised her to continue providing breastmilk to her baby after she returns to work.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers give their babies nothing but breastmilk for the first 6 months of life, and continue giving breast milk for at least 1 year or longer. The evidence overwhelmingly shows that the powerful boost to an infant’s immune system through breastfeeding helps lower the baby’s risk of many common childhood infections and diseases. This is especially important for working mothers whose infants are in childcare centers, where babies are at greater risk for illness. Research also shows that the longer a woman is able to breastfeed, the more she reduces her risk of diseases such as breast cancer and osteoporosis.
As an employer who supports your employee’s decision to provide her baby with the optimal infant nutrition, you will ensure a more loyal and productive employee, happy in the knowledge that she can contribute to her child’s health even when she is at work. She will have less absenteeism from her job because both she and her baby will be healthier. Research shows that providing support also benefits companies with lower health care costs.
There are several key ways you can provide support to her:
-Give her a safe, clean area [I would add not a bathroom stall] where she can express milk in privacy
-Encourage supervisors to work with her so she can use her usual breaks and lunch period to express milk [might add the estimated amount of time needed to pump]
If you have any questions, please contact our office. We can put you in touch with local resources who can share more information on supporting breastfeeding employees.
Sincerely,
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