MSU supports parents, infants, and the workplace through its lactation programs

Did you know that MSU was the first university in Michigan to be awarded a Michigan Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Award by the Michigan Breastfeeding Network? This 2017 award recognized how the university provided lactation accommodations at more than 60 locations across campus and around the state. 

Decades of research and consideration of a national policy went in to the establishment of the MSU Lactation Guidelines (formerly “Breastfeeding Guidelines”), which were MSU’s response to the provisions in the Affordable Care Act. 

These guidelines include:

Milk Expression Breaks: Lactating employees are allowed to lactate or express milk during work hours using their normal breaks and meal times. 

A Place to Express Milk: There are dozens of dedicated spaces, complete with locking doors, comfortable chairs, electrical outlets, and access to a sink for parents who wish to pump or lactate on campus. There’s a handy Google map with lactation room numbers and contact information for the coordinators of those spaces. 

Staff Support: Supervisors and all employees are expected to provide a positive atmosphere of support for employees who lactate.

But why all this emphasis and support for lactation?

The long and short of it: It’s good for MSU employees who lactate, it’s good for their infants, and it’s good for employers.

It has been well documented that lactation programs and interventions like lactation spaces and educational programs lead to positive outcomes, both for families with lactating parents, and in the workplace. Benefits to families include facilitating a longer duration of lactating overall, thereby supporting the health of the parent and baby (and fewer pediatrician visits on average). Benefits for the employer include less work absenteeism, high productivity levels, and increased employee morale. 

In addition, a positive work environment for lactating parents with support from other colleagues can contribute to the longevity of a working parent’s lactating journey. A recent collaborative study between researchers at Texas Christian University and Michigan State University found that “the act of simply returning to work played a major role in [lactating parents’] decision to quit [lactating] but receiving colleague support was instrumental to those who continued.”

What are some of the ways employers can support lactating employees?

• Provide lactation space and negotiate time above typical breaks or meals for pumping.
• Discuss flexible work arrangements with the employee, like part-time work after maternity leave, or the option to work non-traditional hours. For helpful discussion tips and frameworks, see the WorkLife Flexible Work Arrangements webpage. 
• Promote resources on campus like the Lactation Educational Series, which is offered once in the fall and once in the spring. Encourage employees to visit the Lactation page of the WorkLife Office website. See details below on the next series.
• Help soon-to-be parents become aware of local child caregivers and services like Care.com, as MSU employee access to the searching feature is free (you must sign up with your MSU NetID.) 

Thank you for your support of families and parents who lactate. MSU is a more inclusive place when we support employees in such a practical way.

Lactation: How to Get Started and Keep Going

Although lactation is natural, it is a learned skill. This four-part program is designed to give pregnant parents and their partners information on preparing to lactate and strategies for continuing to lactate upon returning to work.

Presenter: Natosha Sage-El, Expectant Parents Organization

Free for MSU staff, faculty, and students

Schedule:

Week 1: Introduction to Lactation: Benefits, How Lactation Works

Week 2: Baby is Here! Getting Started: The Mechanics of Lactation Positioning, Latching On, Feeding Patterns, Challenges

Week 3: Maintaining Lactation: Lifestyle, Expressing and Storing Milk, Returning to Work

Week 4: Lactation Transitions: Introducing Solid Foods and Weaning.