Going back to work after having a baby is hard enough, but without legal protection and support for new moms, it can feel impossible.
President Biden signed the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act in 2022 to extend to more nursing employees the right to reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk for nursing mothers. But New York’s first “mom governor” Kathy Hochul just took it one step further — and signed a law to require that moms get paid break time. For hardworking moms, this is a total game-changer!
As of Wednesday, New York employers are required to provide 30 minutes of paid break time to workers who need to express breast milk for up to three years after childbirth, per AP News. This break time cannot come from the employee’s preexisting meal break or other paid break, and it applies to all public and private employers in the state. This is a huge win for moms!
“As New York’s first mom Governor, I am fighting every day to give working parents the protections they need to keep their families strong and healthy,” Governor Hochul said in a news release.
According to the CDC, it’s recommended that infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives. Current data shows that only 25.4% of infants are exclusively breastfed through 6 months, with 58.2% of babies still receiving at least some breastmilk at six months. Despite the recommendation to breastfeed through six months, the U.S. only provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave through the Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) act. Unlike other countries, there are no paid protections for parental leave in the U.S.
Even though many moms have to go back to work for financial reasons or choose to go back to work before their babies are six months old, being able to pump at work is a great way to feel close to your child and reach your breastfeeding goals. The fact that Gov. Hochul understands the needs of moms and passed this law for New York shows how important it is to have representation in our government! Hopefully this trend will continue to ease the burden of working moms.
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