Maternity Protection Resource Package
From Aspiration to Reality for All
Module 10:
Breastfeeding arrangements at
work
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION
Conditions of Work and Employment Programme (TRAVAIL) • 2012
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10
Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Key contents
This module discusses the importance of breastfeeding, the
challenges of continuing breastfeeding upon return to work,
legislation and practical tools that can help to facilitate continued
breastfeeding for mothers returning to paid work. It includes the
following:
 The benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and their babies,
employers and society
 International standards and national legislation supporting
breastfeeding for mothers in paid work
 Practical measures for supporting breastfeeding for mothers in
paid work
 Considerations regarding breastfeeding and HIV and the roles
that workplace stakeholders can play in diminishing the
transmission of HIV to infants through breastfeeding (PMTCT)
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Advantages and benefits of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is:
 An unequalled way of providing food and care for the
healthy growth and development of infants and young
children
 An integral part of the reproductive process with
important implications for the health of mothers
 Necessary to avoid both short- and long-term risks for
mothers and children
 An exclusive feeding practice and is a suitable option
for many HIV-positive mothers, especially in the
presence of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Breastfeeding after returning to work
Work is one of the main reasons that working women stop
breastfeeding.
For many women, the lack of workplace support for breastfeeding
makes working incompatible with breastfeeding.
Yet, supporting breastfeeding at work:
 is a low cost intervention for employers
 involves minimal disruption to the workplace
 brings benefits for employers including
• higher retention rates
• lower employee absenteeism rates on account of improved child
health
• lower health care costs
• enhanced employee morale and productivity and improved
company image
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Supporting breastfeeding and work:
Breastfeeding breaks
Breastfeeding or nursing breaks are short periods that are
reserved during the workday to breastfeed one’s child or
express milk to be fed later to the child
Convention No. 183 calls for:
 The right to one or more daily breaks or a reduction in
working time for the purpose of breastfeeding
 The length and number of breaks to be decided
nationally
 Nursing breaks are to be counted as working time and
remunerated
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Supporting breastfeeding and work:
Breastfeeding facilities
 Recommendation No. 191 encourages breastfeeding facilities
at the workplace
 Breastfeeding facilities or nursing rooms are simply a place
where a worker can feed her baby or express her milk
 These facilities should be clean, have clean water and privacy
 More than 20 countries have legislation for the provision of
such facilities
 They are inexpensive to set up, and can consist of only a
conveniently located small clean space with a chair, access to
clean water and a screen for privacy
 More elaborate facilities can have a refrigerator and an outlet
for an electric pump
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Other ways to support breastfeeding
and work
Other elements can help to
support breastfeeding at work,
such as:
 Proper information
 Support from colleagues
 Flexible working time
 Childcare facilities
 A breastfeeding policy
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
How to make the workplace
breastfeeding-friendly
Several concrete options exist to make the workplace more
breastfeeding-friendly. They include the following:
Time: maternity leave, parental leaves, flexible hours,
more breaks, attention to parents’ needs regarding
children’s schedules
Space: comfortable, private facilities for expressing breast
milk, access to a fridge to store milk, a clean and safe work
environment, day care facilities if feasible
Support: policy, information, discussions, consultations in
support of breastfeeding and of family-related entitlements
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
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Breastfeeding arrangements at work
Breastfeeding and HIV
One of the reasons for MTCT is that mothers do not know their HIV
status.
Antiretrovirals and other measures can dramatically reduce the risk of
MTCT
The workplace can play a pro-active role in preventing MTCT by
facilitating access to:
 voluntary and confidential testing
 treatment and information on infant feeding options for HIV positive
women
Where mothers living with HIV are encouraged to breastfeed as the
best feeding option for their infants, continued breastfeeding after
returning to work is even more critical
MATERNITY PROTECTION RESOURCE PACKAGE. FROM ASPIRATION TO REALITY FOR ALL
Part 2: MATERNITY PROTECTION AT WORK IN DEPTH: THE CORE ELEMENTS
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Key points
 Returning to paid work is a major reason for women to stop breastfeeding before the
internationally recommended duration of six months of exclusive breastfeeding and continued
breastfeeding until two years or beyond.
 Breastfeeding is the norm for feeding babies and supporting breastfeeding at work produces
major health and economic advantages with benefits for the child, the mother, the employer and
society.
 Among the benefits reported by employers who support breastfeeding at the workplace are lower
health-care costs, less absenteeism, and higher productivity.
 International labour standards set out breastfeeding breaks or a daily reduction of working time –
that are counted as working time and remunerated accordingly – for mothers returning from
maternity leave. National legislation typically provides for one hour, usually divided into two 30minute breaks per day.
 Breastfeeding facilities at the workplace are inexpensive and easy to set up.
 More and more employers understand the advantages of being breastfeeding-friendly, motherfriendly, and family-friendly – and are making the effort to become so, including through
developing in-house policies.
 It is necessary to raise the awareness of policy-makers, trade unions, employers and others on
the need to support breastfeeding mothers, both in terms of time and financial allocations. Men as
fathers and decision-makers have a critical role to play in supporting these efforts.
 HIV can be transmitted to infants through pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. WHO has
specific recommendations regarding the prevention of transmission through breastfeeding. The
workplace has a critical role to play in preventing mother-to-child-transmission and in supporting
breastfeeding practices in accordance with international guidelines.
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