New Study Suggests Breastfeeding Parents Lack the Support, Infrastructure, and Information Needed to Meet AAP Recommendations and Personal Goals

Burlington, VT, July 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Breastfeeding parents are highly motivated to feed their babies breast milk for its health benefits (83%) but cite significant challenges, particularly around pumping breast milk, which about 3 in 4 breastfeeding parents do at least some of the time, according to new research. Conducted by Mamava and Medela, the study surveyed more than 15,000 breastfeeding parents about their breastfeeding motivations, challenges, and support systems.

Key takeaways: 

• Only 15% say public spaces are fully supportive of breastfeeding parents’ needs.
• 53% aren’t sure of their workplace lactation rights and more than 1 in 4 do not feel even somewhat supported at work.
• 1 in 3 parents lack access to a reliable workplace lactation space.
• 47% cite a lack of time for pumping breaks as a barrier, despite federal law (the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act) and many state laws that require employers to provide breastfeeding employees with a lactation space and reasonable break time to pump. 
• 61% say the logistics of pumping—packing, transporting and cleaning pump parts—are a top challenge to breastfeeding. 

The study also revealed that breastfeeding is often more of a culturally and socially informed experience than a clinically guided one. Internet searches topped parents’ list of sources for breastfeeding information (58%), followed by social media and lactation consultants (53%), friends and family (52%), and breastfeeding apps (35%). Only 1 in 3 consulted pediatricians.

“Over the last decade, we’ve seen significant progress in education, policy, and infrastructure that makes breastfeeding a more realistic option for anyone who wants to do it—but not nearly enough to support parents in meeting their personal goals, or the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations to breastfeed for two years,” says Sascha Mayer, cofounder and Chief Experience Officer for Mamava. “We can’t just double the length of time parents should breastfeed to see health benefits and not significantly level up the structures of support that will help them be successful. That’s an incredible amount of pressure to shoulder alone. Breastfeeding babies is everyone’s job—because breastfeeding benefits everyone. We need better education and more inclusive communities and work environments.”

Mamava and Medela have been at the forefront in advocating and supporting breast milk feeding families and, in partnership, created Kin so employers can get the support they need to do better by their employees. Together, they provide resources and educational materials about breast milk feeding to ensure employees feel informed about workplace pumping, lactation space consulting and private lactation spaces through Mamava, and 24/7 virtual support with round-the-clock access to experts for new parents. Employers can provide breast milk feeding equipment and supplies to create a supportive workplace for new parents transitioning back to work after a baby. The program was recognized in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas list for 2022. 

Mamava and Medela also provide breastfeeding information and support directly to parents with free digital solutions. The Mamava app helps parents find thousands of lactation spaces, and not just Mamava pods. Parents can also read encouraging notes from other breastfeeding parents in the “Words of Support” app feature. The Medela Family app is used around the world to track from the first trimester through baby’s first years, offering personalized, evidenced-based guidance for new parents, including connectivity to Medela breast pumps, checklists for returning to work, a virtual storage freezer, and more. Download both the Mamava app and the Medela Family app for free from the App Store and Google Play.

Survey methodology
The 2023 State of Breastfeeding Survey was fielded by Mamava and Medela over two weeks in June of 2023. Respondents were U.S. parents who are currently nursing or have breastfed within the last two years, totaling 15,511 responses. 

About Mamava
Mamava is dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding. The category creator of freestanding lactation pods, Mamava provides breastfeeding parents with private, dignified, and comfortable spaces to pump or nurse—at work and on the go. The free Mamava app helps breastfeeding parents find thousands of lactation spaces and unlock Mamava pods (available for iOS and Android). Women-founded and a proud B Corp, Mamava designs, engineers, and assembles lactation pods at their manufacturing facilities in Vermont. Founded in 2013, Mamava has delivered thousands of lactation pods to organizations that span airports, hospitals, stadiums, schools, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. To learn more about Mamava’s full product line and lactation support resources, visit mamava.com and follow Mamava on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

About Medela
Through advancing research, observing natural behavior and listening to our customers, Medela turns science into care while nurturing health for generations. Medela supports millions of moms, babies, patients and healthcare professionals in more than 100 countries all over the world.  As the healthcare choice for more than 6 million hospitals and homes across the globe, Medela provides leading research-based breast milk feeding and baby products, healthcare solutions for hospitals, and clinical education. Medela is dedicated to building better health outcomes, simplifying and improving life, and developing breakthroughs that help moms, babies and patients live their life to the fullest. For more information, visit www.medela.com.

• 2023 State of Breastfeeding Survey
• Pumping at Work