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Breastfeeding moms in the US have much to celebrate during this year’s World Breastfeeding week. Women pregnant when the US Department of Labor passed last year’s “Break Time for Nursing Mother’s” provision can now take full advantage of the law which requires employers to provide both a reasonable break time and place for employees to pump or otherwise express breast milk. In addition, a 2011 ruling by the IRS enables breastfeeding families to use pretax money from their flexible spending accounts to purchase pumps and other breastfeeding supplies.

Furthermore, good news has been released regarding the benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby. Results from a study by the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Medicine show that breastfeeding may lower a mother’s risk of Type 2 Diabetes. And in a review of 288 studies on breastfeeding and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) data, researchers conclude in July’s issue of Pediatrics that breastfeeding protects against SIDS.

For today’s moms, unlike past generations, breastfeeding is widely encouraged by both physicians and the media alike. Celebrities are frequently heard boasting about the many reasons they love nursing (weight loss! bonding! ease of use!) and some even pose for photos with baby at breast. Indeed breastfeeding is very much in vogue. And with Michelle Obama incorporating it into her campaign to reduce childhood obesity, it has seldom been as topical.

Breastfeeding is such a positive experience for most of the nursing moms at Yummy Mummy, the breastfeeding store I own and run, that many of my moms are unable to fight back tears when they think about their inevitable return to work and the prospect of pumping for their baby rather than breastfeeding. Pumping at works enables mothers to breastfeed for as long they wish even though they are separated from their baby. And many of my moms pump and breastfeed or exclusively pump very successfully. But pumping at work requires dedication. It also takes time and coordination that some working mothers feel is hard to find.

It is no secret that maternity leave durations in the US are much shorter than others around the world. In the US, the average mother is permitted just six weeks of time off and, because most often the time off is unpaid, many moms can’t afford to take any leave at all. Compare this to the subsidized 4 years both moms and dads can enjoy in the Czech Republic and the 16 months both parents are entitled to in Sweden.

In a new study by Pediatrics, researchers found that less than 65% of women who took shorter maternity leaves (one to six weeks) tried breastfeeding while close to 75% of women with longer maternity leaves (around 13 weeks) attempted to breastfeed. Countries with longer maternity leave practices, like Sweden, enjoy some of the highest breastfeeding rates in the world with initiation rates in Sweden close to 100%. Unfortunately, many mothers in the US are giving up before even trying.

The Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) breastfeeding objectives published in its Healthy People 2020 include increasing the percentage of mothers who breastfeed at six months and mothers who breastfeed exclusively at six months as well as reducing formula supplementation at birth and enhancing lactation support within hospitals and the workplace.

As important as the CDC’s guidelines are, for improved breastfeeding participation, especially among working moms, it will be difficult for the US to meet these goals without a new and enlightened maternity leave policy. Quite simply, the US’ six-week maternity leave is no formula for increasing breastfeeding norms to 6 months.

By Jessica Grose

Underneath Yummy Mummy’s cheerful purple awning on Lexington Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets, a mannequin wearing a Boob brand striped nursing top has one breast peeking out. The cheeky tableau announces the shop’s mission as clearly as the slogan stenciled on the door: “Happy breastfeeding.”

Equal parts upscale boutique and Duane Reade, the bright, well-organized space offers new and expectant mothers practical nursing necessities and a little necessary pampering for their breasts. And with products like Nummies brand nursing bras, goat’s rue herbal supplements (to increase breast milk production) and Earth Mama nipple butter, it can be hard to tell which is which.

The store’s pumps, mostly made by Medela, camouflage their medical-equipment origins in smooth molded plastic and rubber-duckie yellow. A “pump in style” rig — if a backpack counts as stylish on the Upper East Side — runs the new mother $299; the “freestyle,” which clips onto her belt like an engorged BlackBerry, costs $379. Hospital-grade pumps are available for rental, as well.

On a recent early Thursday afternoon, a woman sat on a plush couch in the back to nurse her infant daughter while early Michael Jackson played in the background. She had just bought some nipple shields — small pieces of silicone that can make breast-feeding easier for infants. The store’s owner, Amanda Cole, lent her a hot-pink patterned pillow to strap around her waist to support the baby. Soon, her daughter was happily sucking away, and the woman was chatting with Ms. Cole about how her older son was adjusting to the new addition to the family.

In the Manhattan work-life ballet, doing what comes naturally can get pretty complicated. So when Ms. Cole, 36, opened the store in 2009, the idea was to offer nursing mothers both products and instruction: breast-feeding classes, prenatal yoga and events like “doula speed dating,” in which expectant parents can meet and choose a labor coach.

“When I first had to use my breast pump,” Ms. Cole recalled, “I called my sister, who luckily lived across the street, and I was like, ‘Get over here, I have no idea what to do, this apparatus is so scary.’ ”

The shop serves local professionals and stay-at-home moms and receives a steady stream of business from women visiting obstetricians affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital nearby. On this Thursday, one woman arrived with her husband and baby in tow. The man stood uncomfortably amid the maternal miscellany while the woman tried on a series of nursing-friendly nightgowns in blue and black.

“They always feel like they’re the first dad that’s ever come in here,” Ms. Cole observed.

By 6 p.m., most of the shoppers had drifted out, and the women attending the evening’s prenatal breast-feeding class started to trickle in. Wendy Schwartz, who lives on the Upper West Side, was expecting her second child in two weeks and had come for a refresher. “We didn’t think we’d have another,” she said. “So we threw everything out and forgot everything.”

The class’s teacher, Kate Sharp, has been a lactation consultant for 24 years, and she projected a tidy and confident air. She wore very sensible shoes.

She put in a DVD, and the screen displayed a newborn scooting toward her mother’s breast without any help. Ms. Sharp turned off the sound (“goofy childbirth music,” she sniffed), but told the class to watch how the baby instinctively made her way to the food source.

Ms. Sharp had a baby doll dressed in a red onesie that she used to show the class proper positioning. She leaned back against her chair with the doll propped against her chest to show how easily a baby could be supported.

“Just do this,” she said, offering advice as old as motherhood itself, “and you’ll feel like a magician.”

See the article on the New York Times website…

From the 2010 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine

Yummy Mummy

Amanda Cole opened her store—part gear provider, part community support center—after having a difficult time breast-feeding her daughter. Apparently she wasn't the only one: The day before she opened Yummy Mummy last May, customers were pounding on the door. Cole carries all manner of nursing accoutrements, from the necessities (bras, ointments, pillows), to the kind of clothing mothers would wear even if they didn't need to (smock blouses and camis from Swedish line Boob, in particular). She also seeks out unusual items like a line of silicone compression underwear to help with C-section recovery. Though the store is a big breast-feeding advocate, it's not exclusionary—it stocks pumps and bottles and rents hospital-grade pumps ($40 a week, plus $15 for delivery). One or more times a day, the store transforms into a salon for weekly lactation classes, prenatal yoga and Pilates, and breast-feeding support groups.

Boob Scoop: A great way to minimize the worry that comes with the thought of pumping and returning to work, is to do a practice run of what a work day will look like. A week or two before returning, pick a day when someone can watch your baby and schedule pumping sessions as if you were back at work. And of course it's okay if you never get a chance to do this: more important than squeezing in a practice run is to establish good milk supply during the weeks of maternity leave. Establishing good milk supply in the first 8 -12 weeks will play a key role in making the transition to work easier.

Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)

Boob Scoop: Once your milk supply has leveled off, around week eight, you may find it difficult to pump extra breastmilk to build a freezer stash. This does not mean that you have a milk supply issue, but rather that your body has adjusted to produce the amount of milk that your baby needs. As you reach the point of producing just the right amount of milk for your baby, your breasts may not feel as full as in the early weeks. This too is also normal. If breastfeeding has been going well and your baby is gaining steadily and her diaper output is good, your milk supply is also likely to be on point. Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)

Boob Scoop: Mothers will sometimes encourage their baby to feed longer at the breast to assure greater intake of hind milk, which is the fatty milk that comes at the end of a feeding. However, research indicates that there is no reason to worry about foremilk (which comes at the beginning) and hindmilk. If a baby breastfeeds effectively and feedings are not cut short, he will receive about the same amount of milk fat over the course of a day, despite the breastfeeding pattern. Therefore, there's no need to time feedings. Good milk transfer and steady growth are better indicators that a baby is getting just what he needs. Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)

Boob Scoop: If you need to use a nipple shield, it's important to make sure it's a good fit for you and also for your baby, especially if he is preterm. A nipple shield that is too big for a baby can cause him to gag and in turn result in an aversion to the breast. When using a nipple shield, it is always recommended to work with a Board Certified Lactation Consultant to assure that your milk supply is adequate and that your baby is feeding well.

Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)

Boob Scoop: As you may know, some babies don't de-latch from the breast when done with a feeding. Who can blame them, right? Staying at the breast offers babies a great opportunity to cuddle with mom and to suck. However, if you're unsure whether your baby is still actually feeding or is sucking just for comfort instead, watch for active sucking and swallowing. Once the suck/swallow pattern slows down, it's likely that your baby is reaching the end of a feed. Active suck/swallow feeding, like a baby's output and weight gain, is a good sign of effective nursing.

Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)