I read a terrific article last night in this week's New Yorker on how employers, and government tax credits, are promoting nursing pumps (rather than maternity leave) as a way to allow women to continue breastfeeding after going back to work. You can view the article here. I'll be honest and say I didn't really fully comprehend the extent to which using a nursing pump to provide A. & N. with breastmilk at day care was really undermining the righteous claims we all have to increased maternity leave.
Just one thing I think she got wrong. Pumping is boring, and it's lonesome, but it is more than that: It's humiliating. Being hooked up like a cow: humiliating. No lactation room, no matter how decked-out and comfy, can even compare to being with a real live human being.
Let's hope Obama has enough time to get around to providing all new mothers (and hey, fathers too -- but that's another story) with six months paid leave. That would be some change I could believe in.
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I agree completely, particularly about the fact that pumping feels dehumanizing. I did like the point they made in the article about having to choose between taking pumping breaks during the work day or getting home to your child that much sooner. So, not only humiliating, but also time-consuming. And if you work at a company that has out-of-control meetings, difficult to pull off.
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