Familiarizing Yourself With Breastfeeding Laws
Apart from the bond that breastfeeding creates between a mother and her child, breastfeeding is very important for your baby’s health and you should feed your baby for at least six months. All the nutrients needed and all the life long immunity needed by your child is achieved in those first few months of breastfeeding. Many mothers love having a baby and looking after them; but a percentage of them shy away from feeding their babies for fear of losing their shape and beauty. They are afraid of sagging breasts and becoming ugly. This, accompanied by pressure from the workplace has forced many moms to quit breastfeeding. Taking these factors into consideration several laws have been passed in many countries regarding breastfeeding.
These breastfeeding laws have been passed because nursing is a baby’s birthright and nobody in the world has the right to deny the baby of that, including a boss. The best thing is to be aware of the breastfeeding laws in your country if you are a working mother whether full time or part time, it is an advantage to be aware of those rules. That way if someone comes to you while you are feeding your baby and asks you to stop or make haste and move away, you can inform them of your rights to breastfeed your child. Many department stores are required to have specific spaces for nursing mothers so they can feed their babies in peace. There are some employers who constantly nag their employees not knowing that what they are prohibiting is not against the law. Once you read this article, you can prove to them a thing or two and make them accept what is legal.
If you live in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming and the Virgin Islands then you can feed your baby in public.
If you live in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming or the Virgin Islands, you should know that breastfeeding your baby in public is not considered an act of public indecency.
Sadly, only the states of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming allow breastfeeding in the workplace. Both federal and state laws have incorporated rules that allow mothers to take a break during work hours and provide their baby with milk either by going home or expressing milk into bottles with a breast pump.
Even though various breast feeding laws are passed, go through them carefully and note how they are worded. Because once you stand up for what is your baby’s right, you should have all the cards in your hand in order. The breastfeeding laws are brought about for the purpose of increasing the rate of breastfeeding mothers till their baby reaches 6 months of age or until the baby reaches one year. Whichever state you reside in, you should be aware of the laws because some states allow breastfeeding in any land or property owned by the state. Some states even encourage campaigns to promote breastfeeding and breastfeeding education campaigns. At the federal level, the Congress has aimed to promote breastfeeding to improve child nutrition; especially infant nutrition. The Congress has passed legislation that allows mothers to breastfeed without the threat of indecent exposure and public nudity.
