Many new mothers who breastfeed are now having to make an uncomfortable choice: continue breastfeeding their child or lose money.
This information is based on data which was collected from researchers at a U.S. national database. According to their findings, mothers are expressing concern over the fact that they are losing money because of the restrictions that are being placed on them as to where they can pump their breast milk.
More and more women who breastfeed are reporting that they are at risk of losing potential income because of new guidelines that their employers are enforcing concerning when and where they can pump breast milk while they are at work.
Federal law mandates that any employer with a minimum of fifty employers, must provide a separate area in the business where a breastfeeding mother can go and pump milk in private. Known as the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the law states that the area cannot be a bathroom and that the mothers be given two separate breaks of thirty-minutes each.
But some mothers are complaining that taking time away from their desk means potentially losing income. Their solution? Allow mothers to pump breast milk while they are at their desk and can continue working.
So far, employers have not been willing to adopt their solution.
Even with the law in place, some mothers say that they fear being scrutinized for taking advantage of it.
