Benefits of building a Mother friendly program for your business

El Paso, TEXAS (KVIA)-- In collaboration with the American Heart Association, ABC-7 is taking a closer look into how to build a mother friendly program in your business.

Monica Leal with the American Heart Association said Mother friendly worksites are simple to have in a business but has some components to it.

This includes having a space for a woman to be able to breastfeed, which is a space that could be a multipurpose space, but not a bathroom, that is close to a sink, and it has a refrigerator for a woman to store her milk once she's pumped.

Another component to it is break time. She said a woman needs to have breaks during the day to be able to express her milk during the day.

Lastly, she said support is important. She said it's about working with the management with a business owner to be able to take those breaks during the day to be able to pump.

Leal explains the Pump Act, she said it is a new law that just recently passed, and extends the breastfeeding right to women and in the workplace that really wasn't covered by the previous law.

“So for example, teachers and nurses, which are normally women positions in the workforce, will now have the right to be able to take breaks during the workday to be able to pump during their work,” said Leal. “So if you don't have a mother friendly business, or worksite policy right now, this law actually comes at a good time. All businesses should have a mother friendly with this new law by the end of April.”

Assistance and resources available to El Paso County worksites, contact ELPASOTX@HEART.ORG