Current United States Laws
- What is the “Break Time for Nursing Mothers” law?
- Are the breaks paid or unpaid?
- Who is covered by the law?
- What if your state already has a law?
- Who is in charge of enforcing the law?
- What are the benefits to employers?
- How should you prepare to go back to work?
- How should you talk to your employer about nursing breaks?
- What does the undue hardship exemption mean for employees?
- What are the space requirements?
- How much time is “reasonable”?
- How often can you pump during the workday?
- How long do you have the right to pump at work?
- How should you store your breast milk?
- What equipment and supplies do you need?
- What are creative solutions for break time and space?
- What do you do if your employer refuses to comply?
- Where should you go for help?
- How else does the Affordable Care Act impact breastfeeding families?
- What other resources are available?
- What about helpful breastfeeding tips?
North Carolina Law
Executive Order No. 82: Accommodations for Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Breastfeeding
Consistent with Governor Cooper’s issuance of Executive Order No. 82, the Stateof North Carolina will provide workplace adjustments to enable employees to continue to provide workplace adjustments to enable employees to continue to perform job duties while they are pregnant, breastfeeding or affected by other related medical conditions. Employees and managers shall engage in good faith and in a timely and interactive process to determine the workplace adjustment.
The Making It Work Tool Kit is a resource to help breastfeeding mothers return to work. It is designed to provide assistance to breastfeeding mothers, their employers and their families.
- For Employers:
- The Law:What is required of the Federal Labor Standards Act Worksite Lactation
- For Moms:
- For Family Members: How to support mom’s journey to breastfeed
- Other Materials: Sample letters and policy to assist moms and employers
- Sample Worksite Lactation Policy:
- WIC Breastfeeding Policy Update: All local WIC agencies are required to have a written breastfeeding workplace policy that applies at a minimum to WIC staff. This policy will be monitored by NSB staff on an annual basis.
Daycare regulations for breastfeeding families
The NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation (NC BFCCD) is administered at the NC Division of Public Health (DPH). The NC BFCCD recognizes licensed child care facilities statewide that promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. A rating system has been developed in which one gold-starred building block is awarded for achieving each of the five standards for breastfeeding-friendly child care.
The five standards of the NC BFCCD include:
- written policy
- community connections
- professional development
- environment
- curriculum
The NC BFCCD integrates the Ten Steps to Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care from the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI) at UNC-Chapel Hill into the five standards.
Planning Ahead
Planning ahead for your return to work can help ease the transition. Learn as much as you can before the baby’s birth, and talk with your employer about your options. Planning ahead can help you continue to enjoy breastfeeding your baby long after your maternity leave is over. Read more.
Tips for Challenging Environments
- Breastfeeding and the Law
- Break Time for Nursing Mothers
- Engorgement
- Expressing Your Milk
- Storing Your Milk
- Growth
- Milk Supply
- Thinking of Supplementing?
- What Can A Support Person Do?
Please contact us with any feedback or questions.