Just the other day, two of us were on the phone celebrating our recent victories for mothers who choose to breastfeed. We had a happy conversation about how millions of mothers recently were granted the right to clean spaces to pump milk at work and reasonable breaks to do so, and how all mothers now have gained the ability to deduct the cost of expensive breast pumps and supplies on their taxes. As you know, the voices of MomsRising members played major roles in these victories.

But we haven't won all the breastfeeding battles yet. So, not surprisingly, we also talked about just how very far we still have to go for all moms who choose to breastfeed to be able to do so.

That's right. It's not time to rest on our laurels (and yes, we all would love a good nap!). In recent weeks, there has been a backlash against efforts to expand the ability of moms to choose to breastfeed. For example, both Representative Michele Bachmann and former Governor Sarah Palin attacked recent government efforts to expand the rights of breastfeeding mothers.[1]

It's time to make sure these political skirmishes don’t stop our progress in making breastfeeding more accessible and affordable for all mothers.

* Can you donate $15 or more to help us fight for every mom to have the choice to breastfeed? https://action.momsrising.org/donate/supportbreastfeeding

Your contribution now will help us continue our important breastfeeding rights campaign that has already helped overturn the IRS decision regarding breast pumps’ tax-deductability, provided the Department of Labor with critical information from women about how best to implement the new "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" law, and generated national media coverage on the importance of supporting breastfeeding mothers.[2]

What’s the plan? MomsRising will sustain and expand these recent gains by educating employers and employees about their new rights, ensuring that all mothers have the right to pump or breastfeed at work, promoting paid family leave programs which provide critical time with a newborn to establish breastfeeding, and swiftly countering attacks on breastfeeding through our media reach.

We've got to keep up the momentum. Times have changed, the majority of moms are in the labor force these days, and most families need two paychecks to make ends meet and support their children, yet our public policies aren't updated with our changed times.[3] It's critical that moms are able to continue breastfeeding after they go back to work because every major medical authority, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond, yet too few women have been able to do so.[4]

Medical professionals recommend infants get breast milk based on the overwhelming evidence that it provides health benefits to both mother and child. Children who are breastfed have decreased risk of infections, diarrhea, sudden infant death syndrome, obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, asthma, and childhood leukemia. Women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and postpartum depression.[5]

We need your help to continue to fight for the rights of mothers who choose to breastfeed.  Please donate $15 or more today and join our campaign for breastfeeding rights:
https://action.momsrising.org/donate/supportbreastfeeding

Working together, we can make breastfeeding more accessible and affordable for all mothers.

Together we are a powerful voice for women and families!
[1] Rep. Michele Bachmann Raps First Lady Over Breastfeeding Crusade, Politics Daily &
Sarah Palin Bats Michelle Obama Breastfeeding Initiative, Huffington Post

[2] Pumping at Work: The Government Asks Working Moms How They Do It, Time.com &
Breast-Feeding Gets a Nod from the IRS: Pumps are Deductible, Time.com

[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics Fact Sheet, May 2010.

[4] American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement, February 2005.

[5] Fact Sheet, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality