EVERY MOTHER IS A WORKING MOTHER - BREAST-FEEDING AND WOMENS WORK

Working and breastfeeding can be very complicated because of the kinds of work women are doing; the settings in which they are working; rece nt changes which have made breastfeeding and work less compatible; tra de-offs that working mothers must make; the importance of breastfeedin g for the working woman; and the range of feeding options for working mothers. To adequately address these and other issues, several initiat ives are needed: (1) additional research on breast pumping and breastm ilk storage, and the social and emotional benefits of breastfeeding fo r working mothers and their infants; (2) protective legislation and st rategies for its implementation and monitoring; (3) information and su pport for breastfeeding mothers and families, policy makers, and the g eneral public; and (4) an alliance between breastfeeding advocates and feminists to promote this intrinsically female issue.