Like the need for reasonable accommodation in supporting students with different disabilities (a resource), it is deemed necessary for those involved in workplace-based learning (WPBL) to support cis-gender females that are breastfeeding.
Curious about the meaning of the post-nominal title SACLC, I came across a publication which lists work placements. Given my pre-retirement expertise area, it intrigued me. The post-nominal letters SACLC after the name of a healthcare practitioner indicate that the individual completed an intense Post Graduate Lactation course and are considered South African Certified Lactation Consultants.
Interested in what these work placements entail, I looked further and among others came across A guide for employers and employees: Supporting breastfeeding in the workplace. The content of this booklet includes:
- Why support breastfeeding in your workplace
- Ten steps to becoming a breastfeeding-friendly work environment
- Your workplace breastfeeding policy
- Expressing and storage of breastmilk in the workplace
- South African laws protecting pregnant women and breastfeeding in the workplace
- Other useful resources and references
“A breastfeeding nation is a healthy and productive nation. Supporting breastfeeding in the workplace makes good business sense!” (p. 2) Other potential benefits for employers include:
- Breastfeeding can reduce medical costs for mother and child. Based on American data, for every 1,000 babies not breastfed, there are an extra 2,033 doctors visits, 212 days in hospital and 609 prescriptions.
- One-day absences to care for sick children occur more than twice as often for mothers of formula-fed infants.
- A study of multiple companies with breastfeeding support programmes found an average retention rate of 94%.
- Last but not least, staff satisfaction and loyalty improve when breastfeeding mothers are respected and supported in the workplace.
Reasonable accommodation includes provision such as a breastfeeding room (p. 7)—basic, intermediate, and advanced requirements for expressing and storage of breastmilk in the workplace (p. 10). There are international and country specific statutory ‘Codes of Good Practice on the Protection of Employees during Pregnancy and after the Birth of a Child’. Refer also to:
- The International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)
- Breastfeeding at Work - Let's Make it Work!
- Why lactation rooms in the workplace matter
- Policy to Practice: Making Lactation Support a Reality
- Workplace Lactation Week™
The purpose of this post is awareness raising. There are numerous resources and research findings accessible.
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