When many new moms return to work, they face a handful of challenges.
One of those challenges is creating a pumping schedule. It can be awkward to pump at work and find the necessary time and space to do so.
One mom who hung up a sign for customers while she left to pump is going viral for shedding light on this issue that a lot of new moms face.
Breastfeeding moms are up against a lot of challenges.
The act of breastfeeding is hard in itself. People don’t give enough credit to new moms who are trying to get their newborns to latch, while they themselves are dealing with discomfort and handling a 24-hour feeding schedule.
In addition to the struggles that come with breastfeeding, there’s also pumping.
Using a breast pump is a whole other beast, as moms like Chrissy Teigen know. Moms usually need to use them when they return to work to maintain their milk supplies, but pumping at work can be a challenge, too.
That’s why this story is so important.
Codey Burghard was running errands and snapped a photo of this sign at his local dollar store. He then shared the image on Facebook where it quickly went viral.
The store’s only employee, a new mom, hung up the sign while she closed the store and took a quick pump break.
Codey’s post has been shared about 22,000 times and many people commented with their support for the new mom.
Many people wondered why this store wasn’t more accommodating to their employee’s needs and felt that the mom made the right decision by closing the store so she could pump.
Codey never knew the identity of the mom until she made her own post.
Once Codey’s picture went viral, Emily Edgington stepped forward to explain her side of the story. Her situation is one that many new moms face when they return to work.
Since Emily was the only employee, she had no choice but to close the store so she could get in a full pumping session.
“So…I had two choices…run back and forth to pump every couple of minutes to check out customers…OR lock the doors and pump as needed – uninterrupted, because that is my right,” she said in a Facebook post.
With Emily’s side of the story, more people voiced their support for her decision.
This simple sign has shed light on a problem too many mothers face right now. Many companies still do not provide enough support for breastfeeding mothers who have returned to work.
Other women commented and shared their similar experiences.
Besides maintaining milk supplies, breastfeeding moms need to release milk regularly or they risk contracting an infection known as mastitis.
This issue is directly tied to the mother’s health and more employers need to give moms the breaks they need to pump.
We’re so glad Codey and Emily’s posts have started a conversation around this issue.
Breastfeeding moms go through a lot to give their babies the proper nutrition they need. By creating awareness through posts like this, we can start to make life easier for these moms.
