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World Breastfeeding Week Is the Perfect Time To Begin Supporting
Employees Who Breastfeed
LifeCare® delivers a host of helpful breastfeeding
resources; reminds employers of organizational benefits of supporting breastfeeding
WESTPORT, Conn., August 1, 2005 – LifeCare®,
Inc., the exclusive provider of Life Event Management® Services,
reminds employers nationwide that August 1 through 7 has been designated World
Breastfeeding Week, the theme of which is, “Breastfeeding and Family Foods:
Loving and Healthy.”
“This is a great opportunity for employers to begin supporting
employees who breastfeed—or to reconfirm their support if they already
do,” said Peter G. Burki LifeCare CEO and co-founder. “Employer support is absolutely
critical to breastfeeding mothers who work. If a woman senses that her employer
is somehow unsupportive of her decision to breastfeed, she will likely take
longer to return to work after giving birth or she might not come back at all.
And working mothers are such a huge part of the American workforce that to be
unsupportive simply doesn't make good business sense.”
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It's the Law!
Many states already require or encourage
support for breastfeeding employees.
California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, and Washington have all passed legislation to promote
the benefits of breastfeeding in the workplace. And many other states
are considering similar support.
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Burki pointed out that supporting employees who breastfeed
not only benefits the mothers and their infants but it also benefits employers
themselves. For mothers, breastfeeding reduces their chances of pre-menopausal
breast cancer, cervical and ovarian cancer; lowers their risk of postpartum
hemorrhage; and lessens the likelihood of heart disease and osteoporosis in
later life. For infants, breastfeeding promotes their general health, growth
and development while significantly decreasing their risk for many acute and
chronic illnesses (including asthma and diabetes). And for employers, supporting
breastfeeding actually reduces health care costs. In 2004, the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) reported that total medical care costs for the nation are
lower for fully breastfed infants than never-breastfed infants. “That's because
breastfed infants typically need fewer sick care visits, prescriptions, and
hospitalizations,” Burki said. “The AAP also reported that on-the-job productivity
is greater for breastfeeding mothers than for mothers who don't breastfeed,
and breastfeeding mothers miss work less often.”
Breastfeeding and Family Foods
In keeping with the nutritional theme of National Breastfeeding Week, Burki
also reminds LifeCare members that the company provides a wide range of helpful
educational materials created exclusively to educate parents about the nutritional
aspects of breastfeeding—for baby and mother alike.
“For example, we offer a very comprehensive guide book called,
A LifeCare Guide: Nutrition During Lactation,”
Burki said. “It explores topics such as caloric intake, healthy food choices
for mothers, the key vitamins and minerals, potentially harmful substances to
avoid, and a lot more.” On a broader basis, LifeCare offers members a six-time
award-winning “Preparing to Breastfeed” CD-ROM course, not available in stores,
that teaches expectant parents the basics of breastfeeding. The company also
publishes a comprehensive breastfeeding book geared specifically to working
mothers who face unique challenges that are often given only minor references
in most commercially-available books.
In addition, LifeCare is the creator of Mothers at Work®,
the world's leading workplace breastfeeding program, which provides expectant
and breastfeeding parents with prenatal education, access to lactation consultants,
educational materials, and products (including breast pumps) that enable women
to manage breastfeeding and working effectively. Mothers at Work also provides
mothers with pre-screened referrals to local board certified lactation consultants
nationwide, and it offers counseling, education and referral services that support
mothers during pregnancy and family leave and after returning to work.
Notes to Editors
Peter G. Burki is available for interview.
About LifeCare®, Inc.
LifeCare is one of the largest privately owned employee benefits organizations
in the U.S. and the exclusive provider of Life Event Management®
Services. With more than 21 years of experience in delivering highly personalized
counseling, education and referral services, LifeCare helps employees manage
the day-to-day challenges of their lives. In turn, LifeCare helps employers
improve employee commitment, recruitment, retention and workplace productivity.
LifeCare currently serves 1,500 client companies with 4.5 million individuals
within health plans, governmental agencies, unions and corporations. For more
information, visit www.lifecare.com.
Media contact: Michael Civiello
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4170
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