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Support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act!

Every major national and international medical authority recommends that infants are fed exclusively breast milk until they are at least 6 months old. Right now, only 12% of mothers in the U.S. are exclusively breastfeeding by the time their babies are six months old. This is often due to the fact that many workplace structures make continuing to breastfeed nearly impossible. We need common-sense workplace policies to ensure that moms who want to breastfeed can!

Send a letter to your Members of Congress today asking them to co-sponsor this important legislation!

November 21, 2009

Subject:

Dear Member of Congress,

As one of over a million members of MomsRising, I am urging you to co-sponsor the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 2819, S.1244), sponsored by your colleagues, Congresswoman Maloney and Senator Merkley. The Breastfeeding Promotion Act would make it easier for mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

Providing infants with breast milk is good for babies and reduces health costs for both parents and employers. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of infections, obesity, diabetes and other health problems. This not only reduces a family’s healthcare costs (and anguish), it also reduces costs (and workplace interruptions) for employers given that mothers and fathers with healthier babies have to leave work less often to care for them.

Every major national and international medical authority, including the Department of Health and Human Services, recommends that all infants are exclusively fed breast milk until they are six months old.  However, currently only 12% of mothers in the U.S. are meeting this recommendation. Since more than 50% of moms with infants are in the work force, improving the conditions for nursing mothers in the workplace is a critical step to increasing rates of breastfeeding.  Currently, many nursing mothers have no clean, private place or are not allowed to take breaks in order to pump breast milk while they are at work.

Most women are essential contributors to their family’s economic security and, as mothers, wish to continue breastfeeding their children after they return to the workforce. Let’s make sure that mothers can do both. I urge you to sign on with your colleagues and co-sponsor the Breastfeeding Promotion Act today.

Sincerely,

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