Health, Productivity, & Cost Savings
Reduced sick days for baby means fewer work absences by mothers.
One-day absences to care for sick children occur more than twice as often for mothers of formula-feeding infants. Human milk boosts a baby’s immune system and helps protect against common childhood illnesses, infections, allergies, and dermatitis.
For infants in child-care settings, in which they are frequently exposed to germs & viruses, human milk provides even greater protection.
Reduced health care costs for breastfed infants translate into lower medical insurance claims for businesses.
Ex: Mutual of Omaha found that per-person healthcare costs were $2,146 more for employees who did not participate in their company’s maternity & lactation program, with a yearly savings of $115,881 in healthcare claims for the breastfeeding mother & babies.
The protective effects of breastfeeding continue long after the infant stops breastfeeding and extend to mom as well.
Breastfed infants have a 26% reduced risk of obesity later in life. Additionally, studies show that women who have breastfed experience reduced rates of breast & ovarian cancer later in life.
Some studies have found that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, & cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure & high cholesterol.
The whole office benefits from better Productivity & Morale.
When an employee is worrying about pumping logistics & facing extreme anxiety concerning privacy & professional status, her work suffers. It’s not just the logistics that weigh on working mothers, but also the guilt involved with prematurely weaning due to the difficulties with pumping while working. Such sentiments can have deep repercussions. When one employee is distracted, it can lead to a bottleneck.
This all leads to increased employee retention.
Studies have shown that Companies that offer assistance to parents trying to balance corporate & parental obligations see substantial increases in employee loyalty & retention. Companies with lactation support programs found an average retention rate of 94.2%, versus the national average of 59%.
Employers see an average 3X ROI from lactation support programs.
