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Breastfeeding in the workplace isnt easy for new moms
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A firefighter's photo of her breastfeeding her baby has gone viral. Here's what that means for breastfeeding moms in the workplace. - photo by Herb Scribner
Last week, Angela Joy, an Australian firefighter of the Victorian County Fire Authority, snapped a photo of her breastfeeding her baby during a community event. The post garnered more than 38,000 Likes on Facebook, and a strong reaction with more than 1,000 comments.

Some commenters commended Joy for her ability to both put out fires and raise a newborn, with some, as The Huffington Post pointed out, even calling her a superhero.

But this also opens up a conversation about women breastfeeding their children while theyre in the workplace since many of the commenters on the photo thought Joy was breastfeeding on the job. The Country Fire Authority responded and clarified that Joy wasnt actively on duty at the time of the photo.

Just to clarify, this photo of Angela, a proud mum and CFA volunteer, was taken at a community event. No fires nearby and a safe environment for her child, the authority wrote.

Still, breastfeeding at work isn't uncommon. While about 77 percent of children are breastfed after birth, about 16 percent of those children are breastfed six months later when most mothers return to work, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For those 16 percent of mothers, though, its not always easy to breastfeed their newborn while at work, as 27 states have laws about breastfeeding in the workplace, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Some states, like Colorado and Hawaii, allow women to breastfeed in the workplace without penalty or dock of pay, while others, like Georgia, have laws that only allow employees to breastfeed if it wont disrupt workplace flow, NCSL reported.

But even in states where there arent laws against breastfeeding in the workplace, mothers dont necessarily feel like theyre accommodated well. A recent study from the University of Minnesota found that breastfeeding mothers dont have access to enough time or space so that they can breastfeed their children at work.

Specifically, the study found that 40 percent of new moms didnt have enough break time or private space other than the bathroom so that they could pump their breastmilk.

For some moms, this can be the difference in continuing to breastfeed their children or giving up completely.

The benefits of breastfeeding are well documented. Unfortunately, many mothers who wish to continue breastfeeding when they return to work encounter logistical challenges., Katy Kozhimannil, Ph.D., lead author of the study, said in a press release. We found that workplace accommodations really seemed to make a difference; those mothers whose employers provided time and space for expressing breastmilk at work were more likely to continue breastfeeding their babies.

This comes even though the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires businesses to provide break time for their workers to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the childs birth each time such employee has need to express the milk. Employers are also required to provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Our findings suggest that compliance with this regulation may be lacking, Kozhimannil said, which may have real consequences for women and families.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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