The U.S. has infamously offered little support for working parents compared to its economic counterparts — and recent news from Washington is doing nothing to
After a year of sitting on the Senate floor, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act failed to pass in June, leaving nine million potentially breastfeeding parents without workplace protections. The PUMP Act intended to close the gap left by the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Law, which was passed in 2010. That law only covered hourly workers, and required employers to provide the time and space parents would need to pump safely.
The failure of the PUMP Act, on top of a nationwide formula shortage, has been crushing news for breastfeeding parents and advocates who hoped Congress would act, says Tina Sherman, policy expert at grassroots advocacy group MomsRising, certified doula and mother of four.
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"To say I am disappointed would be an understatement," says Sherman. "We have so many families facing barriers to safely feeding their babies, so the fact that this bill failed to pass in the midst of all this just feels like a slap in the face to pumping parents across the country."
According to the CDC, 83% of moms start out breastfeeding, but by three months, the number drops to 47%, and then to 36% by the one-year mark. Notably, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and underlines the benefits of breastfeeding for up to two years, stating that long-term breastfeeding is associated with protection against diabetes, high blood pressure and breast and ovarian cancer.
But given that there is no universal protection for breastfeeding at work or paid parental leave in the U.S., those recommendations often have to go ignored, explains Sherman.
"The inability for parents to meet their breastfeeding goals is contributing to increasing health disparities," she says. "We know that offering these protections will lead to healthier moms and babies, but we continue to have a system that is just not viable for families."
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Whether due to work, health challenges or personal preference, parents choosing to use formula also find themselves unable to provide for their babies. As of May, more than 70% of the country's baby formula supplies were out of stock, and it still has yet to make a full recovery. In desperation, some parents were resorting to making their own formula, or falling victim to online scammers. Yet even that was not enough to get the Senate unanimously in favor of the PUMP Act.
"It's just added salt to the wound," says Sherman. "People just want to provide food for their child."
The PUMP Act is the least of parents' concerns, as many breastfeeding parents don't even have the option to breastfeed from home long-term, due to a lack of paid family and medical leave. According to the advocacy group Paid Leave US, one in four moms go back to work after just two weeks of having their baby.
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"We give families a false choice between returning to work or taking time off unpaid," says Sherman. "We know that paid leave is a barrier families are unable to overcome."
Given Congress's inaction, employers should consider filling the gaps the government is unwilling to — from paid leave to breastfeeding protections and resources within the workplace. Currently, 11 states like California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York already boast paid family leave, and employers like Google, Etsy and American Express among many others offer paid parental leave. However, there's more work to be done.
"Ultimately, these benefits should be available to all working people," says Sherman. "We know that it works for families and employers, and it's a viable option for the U.S. government. We are going to keep advocating these policies and let policymakers in D.C. know."
