"Breastfeeding and 
Returning to Work"
Professional Reviews

“Breastfeeding and Returning to Work  is a very useful video.  You summed up many of the problems facing the working mother and then offered many solutions.  It was especially nice to see such a diversity of mothers.  The photography was crystal clear.  This is an important video for all working mothers.”

Dr. Marshall Klaus
Pediatrician and Neonatologist
Author of "Your Amazing Newborn" and “The Doula Book”
University of California – San Francisco

“Every year, thousands of women wean their babies prematurely rather than face the obstacles they perceive in continuing to breastfeed on their return to work or school.  This 12-minute video offers mothers many reasons to face the challenge and practical tools for doing so.

. . . There are helpful suggestions on approaching and educating hostile employers.  The section on common questions and answers addresses the need for support from partners and coworkers and how to get it. 

… The video would be helpful in breastfeeding classes for mothers who are returning to work and in high school prenatal and postpartum classes. …  It is clear, simple, and to the point."

Journal of Human Lactation
Volume 20 Number 1 February 2004    pp: 95-96
Reviewed by Naomi Bromberg Bar-Yam ICCE, PhD  Newton MA   USA

“The Breastfeeding and Returning to Work video provides answers to the kinds of questions working mothers have about breastfeeding and gives them the encouragement and support they need to be successful.”

Judy Torgus
Director of Publications
La Leche League International
www.lalecheleague.org

“You did a heroic job capturing the complexities and obstacles of returning to work and breastfeeding.  With the suggestions offered in the video you're sure to sway undecided mothers to take advantage of the many benefits associated with breastfeeding.  Your scenarios with real moms and the experts are very impactful.  Your video will be shared with Motorola employees around the country.”

Sandi Aitken
Director, Wellness and Work/Life
Motorola Semiconductor
Austin , TX

"Breastfeeding and Returning to Work  is a film that all women who are considering breastfeeding should see.  It encourages the act of breastfeeding with a thorough explanation of the full scope of benefits that it has for both mother and child.  While the physiological and psychological benefits of breastfeeding are explored, the main focus of the video is to aid women in easing their transition back into work and or school while continuing to breastfeed. 

This video, while only twelve minutes long, is packed full of helpful suggestions that women can use to empower themselves and succeed in breastfeeding outside of the home.  The suggestions are well thought-out, reasonable, and sensible, especially in the section about how to approach the subject of breastfeeding with one’s employer.  They are coupled with encouraging visuals of numerous women accomplishing the continuation of breastfeeding through various means, including having their babies at work, pumping breast milk at work (both in their cubicles and in specially designated rooms), on-site childcare services, and childcare services that would bring the baby to the woman at work. 

The variety of women shown makes this video particularly useful to show clients of any age, race, or background.  It shows one school-age mother and others who work in jobs ranging from the army to the office, from blue and white collar to professional.  Overall, Breastfeeding and Returning to Work is a valuable and informative video that manages to impart a wide range of valuable information in a brief twelve minutes, and the enthusiasm of the women who talk candidly is infectious."

Colleen Bak
Birthing The Future
www.birthingthefuture.com

"Have you ever wished you had an effective response to those who think that working and breastfeeding is difficult or impossible?  If so, this 12-minute video is it.  A treasure trove of information in a concise format, topics include: reasons to breastfeed, planning your return to the workplace, pumping and storing milk, the financial benefits of supporting breastfeeding for your employer, and answers to common questions.

Full of facts and heartfelt emotions, this video features a wonderfully diverse group of mothers who describe their experiences, their feelings, and the rewards of continuing to breastfeed after returning to work.  A full range of options is included: bringing your baby to work, providing exclusive human milk feedings while mother and baby are separated, and combining breastfeeding and formula.    Also welcome is the diversity of pumps shown in the video, which conveys without words many of the best choices available in the marketplace.

A mother who is unsure about breastfeeding will appreciate the variety of choices presented.  Some human milk is touted as better than none.  The point is also clearly made that anything is possible if you make a commitment and take the time to plan.

The only change that would improve the quality of this video involves its language.  It describes breastfeeding in terms of its “advantages” and “benefits.”  Those who promote breastfeeding are currently trying to change the language to better reflect breastfeeding as the human norm.  With this mindset, it is not that babies stand to gain something extra by breastfeeding (“better health, more intelligent”), it’s that they stand to lose significantly if they don’t (“sick more often and more severely, less intelligent”).  In other words, if formula is the norm, breastfeeding has health “benefits”; if breastfeeding is the norm, formula-feeding has risks.

For those looking for a video to play in a doctor’s or public health department’s waiting room, this would be a great choice.  Its length also makes it ideal to include in a “Working and Breastfeeding” class.  Thank you Bruce Wittman and Eagle Video for providing a needed breastfeeding resource for new parents!

Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC
Co-author of "The Breastfeeding Answer Book"
www.artofbreastfeeding.com

 “Aimed at working mothers, this information-packed short program outlines the benefits of breastfeeding, including the immunizing properties of breast milk, mother/child bonding,  the savings over high-cost formula milk, and a lower incidence of ovarian and breast cancers in moms who nurse. Viewers are advised of the importance of having a plan for nursing while working, as well as gaining the support of family, friends, and daycare providers.  Offering tips for approaching employers, the program lists numerous reasons why companies should support nursing mothers – among them, lower absenteeism, a positive corporate image, and higher employee morale – and features interviews with successful nursing mothers (a young 16 year old still attending high school, and a military mom) who have gone back to school/work and continued to breastfeed their babies.  Resources and support organizations are listed at the end of the program, including the La Leche League and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action.  While there are clips of women nursing babies and ‘pumping in process,’ discretion is used.  Recommended.”

Video Librarian Review    *** Stars
Vol 18  No. 6 November-December 2003
www.videolibrarian.com
N. Plympton

“Mothers often discontinue breastfeeding after they return to work or school.  Following a discussion of the benefits of breastfeeding by various physicians, this program features several mothers from diverse backgrounds who tell how they managed to successfully continue breastfeeding after going back to work.  While some corporations encourage women by providing private rooms where mothers can nurse their infants or use a breast pump, others are not as accommodating.  Good captions focus viewer attention on main points in this brief, well-constructed video that is also available in a Spanish version.  The Benefits of Breastfeeding is another title from this distributor.”

Booklist Review
Vol. 100 No.6   11/15/03  Page 612
Nancy McCray 
Booklist Website

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