Breastfeeding is a reproductive right for mothers, including women in the workforce. Limited postpartum leave, reliance on expressing milk at work, and lack of access to lactation rooms pose challenges for working mothers. Specific to mothers in academia, the heavy demands of teaching, sustaining research, and attending meetings and conferences pose additional challenges. Many female academicians delay childbearing due to pressures to attain tenure as early as possible. Women who leave academic careers often do so in the early career period, which coincides with the childbearing years. Lack of support for these mothers is a social-justice issue that warrants close examination and a realignment of priorities to facilitate and ensure breastfeeding success. The following are recommendations for developing a network of support for breastfeeding mothers: (a) Improved and standardized family leave policies, (b) inclusive workplace infrastructure, (c) flexibility in work schedule and structure, (d) equal opportunity to advance on the tenure track, (e) establishment of onsite daycares, (f) supportive policies clearly communicated and enforced, and (g) change in attitude and culture.
Nursing faculty are predominantly women, and many are of childbearing age. Academic responsibilities for nursing faculty include attendance at scientific meetings and conferences. When nursing faculty members are breastfeeding, situations arise that may require them to make difficult decisions to meet both demands as mothers and academics. The purpose of this article is to describe the experiences of three nursing faculty members who brought their breastfed infants to professional nursing conferences, as well as identify major barriers to an inclusive working environment that cultivates “work–life balance” and propose workable solutions for breastfeeding mothers in academe.
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