Finally! No more milk pumping in the restroom

Always watch what fluids flow into your baby

I was fortunate enough to exclusively breastfeed my daughter for six months. Even though I had plans to go back to work after four months which then moved to six months and then indefinitely put on hold because of my separation anxiety as well as other reasons. Had I gone back to work, I don't know how I would have dealt with pumping, working and spending the whole day away from my daughter. From my conversations with a number of new mothers who went back to work after their maternity leave, exclusive breastfeeding was their ultimate resolution until they reported back to the office. Lack of a clean and private place to express, decreased milk supply and lack of support from supervisors forced most of them to abandon their plan and start giving formula to their little ones.

One mother told me that it is one of the most painful experiences she has gone through. She said, "The first week I resumed work was difficult. Since the only place I could express from was the toilet, I only expressed when my breasts became very painful. I was constantly in pain because my breasts were engorged. The toilet was very dirty so I used to throw out the milk for fear of the hygiene risks. By the third week, my milk supply decreased so fast that I stopped pumping and by then my son was barely four months old. To know that I was not able to exclusively breastfeed my son because I had to work made me depressed. Even when I made peace with it, the process of finding the right formula was difficult and very costly."

The new breastfeeding bill that was recently passed is a good news for mothers like her if it will be signed into law. According to the bill, a company with more than 30 employees will be required to provide suitable environment (a separate room and fridge) for breastfeeding mothers. Even public facilities such as restaurants will be expected to provide baby changing facility as well as a separate room for breastfeeding/ expressing.

As much as the bill sounds good to the ear, the implementation will most likely be challenging to follow upon. With businesses always on the lookout for ways of cutting costs, the burden of securing another room with the necessary facilities for mothers as well as according them with enough breaks for expressing might be something companies want to avoid by refusing to hire women. Companies will be charged a hefty fine of Sh500, 000 if they fail to comply with providing facilities. The organisation I worked with previously only hires women and made sure that mothers are given all the privileges they need to meet the demands of exclusive breastfeeding and taking care of a child during the first year. Businesses should know that for every minute a breastfeeding mother spends catering to her child unbothered, she will give back in dedication to her work.

But until the bill is passed into law, pack up your cooler bag with your gear as well as your baby's picture for better milk production.

EVEN ONE DRINK CAN AFFECT YOUR UNBORN'S FACIAL STRUCTURE

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There have been contradicting views about consuming alcohol while pregnant but a new study from Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia, found that even an occasional adult beverage during pregnancy can affect a baby's facial development.

According to the study conducted on 415 children born in Australia between 2011-2014, there was a consistent association between facial shape and alcohol exposure during pregnancy at almost any level regardless of whether exposure occurred only in the first trimester or throughout pregnancy. Researchers found the main differences in the nose, lips and eyes, including a shortening of the nose and an upturned nose tip which resemble midface anomalies associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Even though the study has inconclusive details, it proves that complete abstinence from alcohol while pregnant is the safest option.