Legislation Seeks to Increase Mother's Access to Lactation Facilities at Work at California City

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Breastfeeding mothers getting ready to return to work in San Francisco may soon have greater access to facilities for pumping under new legislation introduced by Supervisors Katy Tang and Malia Cohen this week.

The legislation will require all employers to have a lactation policy and a process for employees to request accommodation for pumping and set minimum standards for the type of space that employers must provide to employees for pumping above and beyond that required by state and federal law. The city will also provide guidance to employers including a model lactation policy and sample lactation accommodation request forms.

It will also require that new construction and renovation projects of a certain size include lactation facilities.

Tang on Tuesday said her legislation was inspired in part by the experiences of her aide, Ashley Summers, whose child is around 18 months old now.

"New mothers who want to return to work face so many barriers-- whether it's juggling childcare, balancing a new schedule, or figuring out how to provide breast milk for their child," Tang said.

Cohen, who co-sponsored the bill, previously worked to convert a second floor single-stall restroom in City Hall into a lactation room when she realized a number of employees were having babies.

She noted Tuesday that mothers are the fastest growing segment of the country's workforce, and that about 70 percent of employed mothers with children younger than three are working full time.

Many women, especially those at the lowest income levels, do not have a choice about going back to work, and can experience obstacles in the workplace that cause them to either choose not to breastfeed or stop earlier
than they would like.

"This legislation is not just about what's best for the baby, it's really about providing choices to the mothers," Cohen said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life. In practice, however, while 97 percent of women in San Francisco start breastfeeding in the hospital, 23 percent have begun to at least supplement with formula within a month of leaving the hospital..

By six months, only 16 percent of the low-income mothers are still exclusively breastfeeding, according to state figures.

What do YOU think? Should legislation like this be in effect in San Francisco or other cities across California? Tell us in the comments below!

– By Bay City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone