But this is something you can do with kids, and also while pregnant or while pumping,” said the aide, who’d brought her own pumping equipment along on an overseas congressional delegation trip.
She wanted to get into policy work before she had kids, so it wouldn’t affect her travel. “I met with a young woman who wanted to do foreign policy on the Hill. Even though I was not at home, I was still able to provide their food for the day, and that meant a lot to me,” said a foreign affairs legislative assistant in the Senate who pumped for her son and her twins while working in the Senate.
#MAGIC NUMBER BREASTFEEDING FULL#
“Pumping on the Hill was something I could do for my kids despite the demands of working full time. “If mothers can make it past seven weeks while working, our survey shows they are more likely to continue breast-feeding for six to 12 months,” said Irene Zoppi, a clinical education specialist who conducted a 2007 survey of breast-feeding mothers with the National Women’s Health Resource. Lactation lounges also allow women to continue breast-feeding for their desired length of time. The Congressional Management Foundation estimates that at least a quarter of congressional staff have dependent children, and the relatively young age of many staffers means that at any point, new mothers need to pump breast milk. “The documented health benefits of breast-feeding translate into potential savings of billions of dollars in health costs, since those who are breast-fed will have lower rates of diabetes, obesity, cancer and many other health problems,” Beam said. “Offering ‘lactation lounges’ equipped with pumps is an excellent example,” said Marie Beam, one the D.C.-area leaders of La Leche League, a group dedicated to providing education and support for breast-feeding mothers. Benjamin’s “Call to Action to Promote Breast-Feeding” identified workplace lactation lounges as one of the evidence-based actions needed to support breast-feeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies receive breast milk exclusively for the first six months of life and continue to breast-feed until their first birthday. There was a network of other moms down there, and we would talk and take care of our mothering responsibilities at the same time. “If I knew I had things I needed to read, I could use that time. “We were always working, even when we had to pump,” said Stacy Kerr, a former adviser to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is currently the assistant vice president of communications at Georgetown University. And many were productive even while pumping. All cited willingness and flexibility from their bosses to accommodate their schedules. Staffers interviewed for this article described pumping on international congressional and staff delegations, on the campaign trail with their bosses, at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference and the World Bank. This benefit is extended to credentialed reporters, Capitol Hill police, employees of Restaurant Associates and visitors upon request. A quick call to the Office of the Attending Physician and a signed form will activate a congressional ID to allow access to the 24-hour suites. Access to the suites requires minimal paperwork.
The Capitol complex boasts 10 lactation spaces: four with 24-hour access and six within the current health units. The open-office cubicle, common in many Capitol Hill offices, will not suffice.įor mothers on the Hill, there is good news. Pumping can take 10-30 minutes and usually requires some level of undress. It’s one of the best-kept secrets on Capitol Hill.”įor working moms to maintain an active supply of milk - as well as provide milk while they are away - many of them “pump,” using a machine to extract breast milk. “There is a line of women who come at the same times each day and you get to know one another. “It’s the new ‘backroom,’” said a Democratic House staffer, who, like many of the mothers interviewed for this article, declined to be named. Access is limited to the working mothers of young children who want to pump breast milk twice, sometimes three times, a day. These hidden gems are sprinkled throughout each of the House and Senate office buildings. There’s a new backroom on Capitol Hill: the lactation lounge.
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