I Remember A Baby Friendly Workplace

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to http://www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com/. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about breastfeeding and employment. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

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With my first child I worked and went to school while breastfeeding. I had two jobs that were very accomodating to breastfeeding. One job was with a youth-run childcare through an organization that helped teens be more involved in the community. The other job was helping out at a gently used and new maternity, nursing, and children's store. I wish there were more employers that were supportive of breastfeeding or bringing children to work with you.

The first real job I had outside of yard work and babysitting for people was being an administrative assistant at a youth-run childcare for toddlers. We worked out of the child development class at one of the high schools in the town I grew up in. A group of teenagers, whom later became my good friends, put together an after-school drop-in childcare that they ran which was also managed by a teacher who had major experience in early childhood education. We had a 1:2 ratio which is super awesome. They allowed me to bring my baby in while I did paperwork and created a newsletter for them. In addition, DD1 got to play with the other children as she got older and I helped out with watching the children. I breasfed her freely. This particular experience helped me be a better parent in many ways in addition to feeling secure about my choice to breastfeed.

The next job I had that was breasfeeding friendly was at a second-hand store, which also houses the largest selection of nursing bras in probably all of North America. The store owner let me take nursing breaks whenever I had DD1 with me. Here I learned about various pumps, bra fitting, baby wearing, maternity and nursing clothing...You name it, I learned it there most likely. They had a play area and a book section with a rocking chair. If a mother wanted more privacy she could sit in a dressing room. We had disposable nursing pads in the dressing rooms too. Parents would freely let their children roam through the toys and books while they looked through clothing and accessories, or picked out a few bras. We would hold babies, entertain toddlers, and help find the perfect gifts. The saddest thing I did was move away for college.

I have not found a job as welcoming to babies and breastfeeding as those early experiences I was lucky to have. If I ever get to have my own business, I know that I will implement a baby / breastfeeding friendly environment for customers and employees.

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 Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

• Emily @ Baby Dickey—I’m a working and breastfeeding mama
• Sylko @ Chaotic Mama—Breastfeeding Carnival: WOHM Breastfeeding
• Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl—Breastfeeding Student
• Veronica @ Crunchy VT Mommy—Business Boobies: Breastfeeding & Today’s Workplace
• Whitney @ According to Waddlebug: The (Un)Balancing Act of Motherhood—My Perfect Job
• BoobiesNBabies @ Num In Mind—I Remember a Baby Friendly Workplace
• Claire @ Geeky Gaming Mama—Breastfeeding and Employment
• Natasha @ Natural Urban Mamas—Breastfeeding at Work-In Canada is this an issue?
• Brooke @ Milk Maid Mamma—Pumping Sucks
• And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s Blog today is Christy Porucznik—Maintaining Breastfeeding While Separated from One’s Baby—Often Known in the USA as Gainful Employment