MomsRising, a well-known grassroots organisation working towards a more family friendly America, recently launched a campaign to encourage breastfeeding mamas to share photos of the places they pump at work.
According to the group, almost two-thirds of mothers in the US don’t have access to a pumping room or even adequate break time to allow them to express milk.
Working Mama Share Photos Of Where They Pump At Work
By encouraging mothers to share photos of the places they pump, MomsRising hope employers will see the value in providing pumping rooms and proper breaks for the working mamas on their staff.
For many working mothers, pumping is a part of their everyday working life. In countries like the US, where paid maternity leave is painfully short, pumping is necessary for those who wish to continue breastfeeding.
It’s something which simply has to be done, and yet many employers are unwilling to provide support for these supermamas.
The campaign, created by ad agency WongDoody, claims to be “bringing moms out of the bathroom stalls and into the pumping rooms they deserve.”
Federal law states employers should provide pumping areas and adequate breaks for working mothers, but in reality, many don’t.
Kirstin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO of MomsRising, explained “While 75% of American moms start out breastfeeding, the lack of clean, accessible places to pump means that that number drops significantly by the time a child reaches three months old.
“That’s why it is so important to highlight the need for clean, safe, accessible places for new mothers to pump. Our hope is that the #IPumpedHere campaign shows the impact of inadequate working conditions on new mothers and encourages all employers to create safe spaces for moms to pump.”
The #IPumpedHere website is filled with pumping selfies taken by working mothers in grim public bathroom cubicles, dusty supply cupboards and squashed in behind the steering wheels of their cars.
To join the campaign, all you need to do is upload a photo of the place you pump at work to Instagram along with the #IPumpedHere hashtag.
If you live in the US, you can support the campaign by signing the petition calling for better pumping rights for working mothers here.
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