August is National Breastfeeding Month: Resources for Parenting Women

For more than 50 years, Medela has been a dedicated advocate of breastfeeding moms, focused on helping moms successfully breastfeed their babies for as long as they choose. With advancements in breastfeeding technology and products, and an increase in women joining the workforce, more women are pumping breast milk at work than ever before to provide their babies with the life-giving benefits of human milk!

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This is certainly great news overall, but many women say they still need more support from their employer, including time and space to pump.¹ Research tells us that a whopping 43% of women leave the workforce within 3 months of childbirth² and employers are learning that providing breastfeeding and parental support goes a long way in attracting and retaining female talent. In fact, organizations that provide breastfeeding support consistently report improved morale, better employee satisfaction with their jobs, and higher productivity!³

As we conclude August activities for National Breastfeeding Month, the team at Kin has put together a list of articles for all the working women in your organization who may be pumping milk for their babies. In navigating this new COVID world, we have learned that more than 40% of new moms are more committed to feeding breast milk during the pandemic⁴, and new challenges are being revealed every day for moms juggling their work and parenthood. These Medela breastfeeding resources offer tips and guidelines to help your working parents balance both their career and breastfeeding goals!

Going Back to Work After Baby and Getting Into a Routine – Getting into the back-to-work routine after parental leave might require a little planning, but we have tips and suggestions that can help ease the new transition so it quickly becomes second nature.

Questions to Ask Your Manager When Returning to Work After Baby – Be sure to talk with your manager about the demands of parenthood and any other concerns you may have as you begin your back to work transition. Here are some ways to start the conversation ahead of time.

Overcoming Maternal Separation Anxiety When Returning to Work – Maternal separation anxiety is described as a mom's experience of worry, sadness, and/or guilt during short-term separations from her baby. Here are some tips to consider that may help make the good-byes less tough.

Tips for an Irregular Pumping Schedule at Work – For moms whose jobs aren't the typical 9-5, pumping at work takes a little more planning, relying on coworkers, and ingenuity.

For information on the Kin - Healthy Returns for New Moms program that can help your organization attract and retain female talent by supporting their parenting needs, contact us today!

1. New Moms’ Healthy Returns, Return-to-Work Experience Survey of Working Moms, January 2020
2. Berry, et al. CDC. Becker's, Harvard
3. The Business Case for Breastfeeding, Department of Health and Human Service, 2008
4. New Moms’ Healthy Returns, Breastfeeding in a Post-COVID World Survey of Working Moms, June 2020