Is your workplace breastfeeding friendly?

Supporting working parents in balancing their careers and families is crucial, especially for those with a newborn.

Among the many challenges they face upon returning to work, one significant concern is managing infant feeding. Sadly, this leads to many new mothers not attempting, or giving up on breastfeeding altogether.

Breastfeeding holds utmost importance for both infant and maternal well-being, offering a vital foundation for a baby’s early life and numerous advantages for the mother and child alike.

The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding along with complementary foods for two years and beyond.

Low breastfeeding rates and workplace impact

Dr Chantell Witten, a representative of ADSA (The Association for Dietetics in South Africa) and staff at Wits University, highlights South Africa already faces low rates of exclusive breastfeeding, and this issue is further worsened when mothers return to work.

“The latest breastfeeding rates in South Africa are from 2016, and from that data we see an acute drop off from 44% of mothers breastfeeding in the first month after birth to only 28.9% still breastfeeding at 2 to 3 months of age, which coincides with the timing for return to work,” said Dr Witten.

To address this situation, South Africa has taken steps to improve the scenario by incorporating the Code of Good Practice into the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

SA mandates breastfeeding support at the workplace

As one of the 42 countries worldwide, South Africa now mandates breastfeeding support in workplaces. Employers are obligated to grant two 30-minute breaks daily for breastfeeding or expressing milk to their employees during the first six months of their child’s life.

“Despite the legislation, research shows that many companies are not making provision for mothers to express breastmilk at their workplaces, and it is hard for government to enforce compliance within the private sector environments.

“What is also missing is that we are not hearing parents demanding these provisions to support breastfeeding in the workplace.

“We need to create awareness of this provision and build breastfeeding-friendly work environments that proactively reduce social stigma and instead promote breastfeeding as a vital part of wellness and healthy lifestyles,” further elaborated Dr Witten.

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Mothers face barriers to breastfeeding in the workplace

In 2020, a research study was co-authored by Professor Lisanne du Plessis from Stellenbosch University’s Division of Human Nutrition.

The study focused on businesses with over 50 employees situated in Breede Valley, Western Cape.

“What we found is that breastfeeding support practices were limited and inadequate. For instance, there was a lack of common breastfeeding support practices such as onsite or nearby childcare facilities, access to breastfeeding counsellors, promotion of the benefits of breastfeeding to employees and provision of private spaces for expressing breastmilk. 

“In addition, workplace breastfeeding policies were not common and were mostly found in the public rather than the private sector. Under half of our research sites did not provide the mandated time for expressing breastmilk at work.

“My sense is that this study reflects what is happening beyond the Western Cape as well, since many of the workplaces included in the study have branches in other provinces.

“Legislated breastfeeding break times most definitely need to be monitored to ensure better compliance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act in South African workplaces,” stated Professor Du Plessis.

Is your workplace breastfeeding friendly?

World Breastfeeding Week is an annual celebration taking place from 1 – 7 August.

In 2023, the theme “enabling breastfeeding, making a difference for working parents” emphasises that workplace challenges often lead to mothers not breastfeeding at all or discontinuing before the recommended six months.

Creating a breastfeeding-friendly environment is essential, as even workplaces that aren’t openly hostile can still cause stress for mothers who wish to breastfeed for at least six months.

Many mothers have experienced discomfort while trying to express milk in workplace restrooms or fear the lack of privacy when seeking a suitable space.

Strategies for creating a breastfeeding-friendly workplace

Andiswa Ngqaka, an ADSA Registered Dietitian and International Nutrition Consultant, emphasises the significance of acknowledging and valuing breastmilk as the natural source for the optimal health and development of young children in South Africa.

Consequently, she advocates for providing complete support to breastfeeding mothers, considering that many parents are part of the workforce, making it an integral part of employee wellness.

Andiswa proposes strategies to establish a breastfeeding-friendly workplace, which include:

• Complying with the South African law by providing two 30-minute breaks for breastfeeding or expressing breastmilk.
• Management support for providing a breastfeeding friendly workplace that is sensitive to the needs of breastfeeding employees.
• Formulating, communicating and enforcing a supportive workplace breastfeeding policy.
• Including breastfeeding education and promotion in general employee wellness and health initiatives.
• Providing parents with access to breastfeeding education and lactation consultations.
• Providing clean, secure and private spaces in the workplace for expressing milk and breastfeeding, which preferably includes access to a fridge for storing breastmilk expressed at work.
• Hearing parents’ voices when it comes to their individual breastfeeding goals and challenges.
• Adopting a flexible approach to be as supportive of breastfeeding employees as possible, particularly during their baby’s first six months of life.

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