Welcome to the September Carnival of Breastfeeding! Today working mothers share their stories and tips for combining breastfeeding and working outside the home. Pumping at work can be challenging but with a little advance preparation and determination, both mother and baby can reap the rewards of continuing to breastfeed after the mother returns to work. Read on for the advice working mothers shared with me, and then check out the links at the end to other carnival participants!

In light of Labor Day in the United States, the September Carnival of Breastfeeding centers on breastfeeding and working. Please email me your post on breastfeeding and working by September 21, 2009, for consideration for the blog carnival on September 28, 2009.
p>As a reminder, here are the guidelines that will increase the chances a post will be selected for inclusion in the carnival:
– A well-written, grammatically correct post
– Thoughtful commentary directly on point for the carnival subject
– Overall quality of the rest of your blog and whether the general subject matter is something of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, …read more

As some of us enjoy a break from working for the Labor Day holiday, I would like to ask your input on breastfeeding and working. I know all about juggling breastfeeding and the work of a stay-at-home mother, but I don’t have insight into breastfeeding and working outside the home.lease leave a comment on any or all of the following questions, and your answers might be used in a future post on breastfeeding and working (so leave your blog link if you would like me to link to you):
- How did you prepare to return to work after maternity leave …read more

Remember back in March when I wrote to Dear Abby about the fact that A Bathroom is Not a Pumping Room? My response was not selected for printing but today’s Dear Abby column is entirely dedicated to other helpful replies: Employer Obliged to Give New Mom a Private Space.
I especially liked that the responses included a reference to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information booklet: “A Business Case for Breastfeeding: Steps for Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite: Easy Steps to Supporting Breastfeeding Employees.” (PDF Download).
I must be on a breastfeeding letter-writing kick because last night I …read more

*** Last Updated November 11, 2008 *** Please see the notes for each branch of the U.S. military. If you have notice of updates to military breastfeeding regulations and policies, please alert me with a comment and I will be happy to keep this information up to date!
A military new mother generally receives six weeks of maternity leave starting the day she leaves the hospital. The leave can be extended upon written request along with a physician’s recommendation.
Air Force: The Air Force offers four-month deployment deferrals after the birth of a child. On May 23, 2007, Air Force Instruction …read more

A new Colorado breastfeeding law goes into effect on August 5, 2008. The Workplace Accommodations for Nursing Mothers Act reads in part:

I came across this great article from AskDrSears.com on Job Alternatives for Breastfeeding Mothers. It outlines how some mothers take their babies to work with them, work from home, or arrange visits from the baby.
How have you handled working and breastfeeding? Do you have a story to share about how you made it work, or how you came to a decision to stay at home? Leave a comment!

The other day Katie Allison Granju (author of Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child) was lamenting how difficult it is to be a breastfeeding and working mother. That got me thinking about the challenges working mothers face. So when I was looking for something to listen to while I cleaned out my computer desk, I chose this interesting podcast, an interview with Jennifer Hicks, the woman who compiled and edited Hirkani’s Daughters: Women Who Scale Modern Mountains to Combine Breastfeeding and Working. Hicks talks about how the book came about and how it got its name, …read more

The folks at Mothering magazine have put together a video montage depicting “a day in the life of Moms Working at Mothering.” If you like, turn on your computer’s sound and click here to see the pictures of breastfeeding babies and children playing at Mothering, where it seems every day is “bring your child to work day”!

Senator Carol Williams watched her own daughter wonder how hard it would be to go back to work after having a baby and decided to seek protections for breastfeeding women in the workplace. She introduced Senate Bill 89 which would prohibit public employers (but not private) from discriminating against breastfeeding mothers. It would also require public employers to provide reasonable unpaid break time and a private place to express milk. The bill has already passed the Senate and is scheduled for hearing before the House Education Committee on March 19, 2007, at 3 p.m. Senator Williams expects the bill pass …read more