Mothers of newborns are advised to exclusively breastfeed their babies for six months. But what happens when their 3 months of maternity leave are up and they have to return to work? Some may choose to go home to nurse during their lunch break - but then they must incur the added cost of transportation along with the stress of making it back within the hour.
It's added pressure on the mother's mental health, but for those at Transparent BPO, they now have the convenience of nursing right at work. The call center launched its lactation area today, where nursing mothers can have the space they need to take care of their child.
Courtney Menzies was at the opening and has this story.
Working mothers are often faced with the challenge of having to leave their breastfeeding child at home - most times at only 3 months - to return to their place of employment. The difficulties of that force many of them to stop breastfeeding, which can have adverse effects on their infant.
And that is the reason why one call center has taken the initiative by turning their establishment into a baby-friendly space. Transparent BPO today launched their lactation center - a cozy, private area for breastfeeding mothers to use during the day, eliminating at least one worry. According to the COO, the suggestion was made by the employees.
Eric Petty, COO, Transparent BPO
"It really started locally so the team here on the ground saw a need. we employ a significant amount of women as a percentage of our workforce and we saw them having to make difficult choices and that was really the genesis of putting this together and we put a lot of thought into it. Hopefully, as everyone has toured the facility, they see that it is a warm and inviting place and I believe it will be a comfort to those women as they need to provide for their children in a nursing situation and hopefully will attract other to do the same in the community."
They partnered with the Ministry of Health to create the space. It aligns with the ministry's agenda to increase the breastfeeding rate from about 30% to over 90%. And nutritionist Robin Daly says that private sector partnerships are key to reaching this goal.
Robin Daly, Nutritionist, Ministry of Health
"This is a very big step because studies have shown, or interactions with mothers have shown that workplaces play a very big role with supporting mothers that are breastfeeding, because if the support is not there from the workplace, mothers feel they're only chance is to stop so having a workplace that supports women, support mothers, puts us in a position where we can safely say we expect breastfeeding rates to increase because there are opportunities now and there's more that's on the ground happening to support nutrition and breastfeeding."
"Breastfeeding forms the first part of nutrition for a child. It's the first immune response that was given to a child and it has major positive effects for fundamental growth patterns, brain development, the nutritional requirement, all the nutrients are in breast milk, and of course it's free. So it actually, there's an economic side to it as well so we try very hard to encourage mothers."
And now the mothers at TBPO will be able to use their breaks - or even get a little extra time in the day if necessary - to breastfeed or pump.
One expecting mother, who helped to design the space, says she can't wait to use it, especially since she had difficulties with her first child.
Shania Longsworth, Senior Trainer, TBPO Belmopan
"It's definitely a challenge that I'm sure many women have faced throughout the years but I'm lucky now that I don't have to worry about it this time around. We have the space now so I'm excited to be able to utilize it."
"It's truly a blessing to be able to work at a company like this that's prioritizing something that's important for their employees. This is the first place I've ever been where we actually have a safe space, a health environment, a clean environment that's able to store and support the nature of what we women do when we become mothers and are blessed to be able to grow their families so it's a real blessing."
"I've tested the couch, it's pretty comfy. They made sure to layout the space so there's enough areas where you can bring in your pump, you can store, you have everything there. There's even a cot so that if you have your infant with you, you have somewhere to put your child to rest, there's wipes, there's sanitary products, it's fully prepare. There's snacks, water, everything that we need to be able to feel comfortable and feel safe in a space."
And soon, she and other mothers will be able to have their kids close by with an in- house daycare.
Eric Petty, COO, Transparent BPO
"We're much further along in seaside with the daycare but we have plans and we've identified a location here as well. We've actually completely built out the location in seaside, we're working through the final details with the provider and having it right there on premises, we looked outside vendors, but we thought that as they utilize the service and it's right there at their facility where they work, one, they're in close proximity to their children if they need access to them throughout the workday they have that but also just that convenience."
Both TBPO locations in Belize City and Belmopan will have a lactation center.
Business owners that are interested in adding a similar space to their workplace can contact the Ministry of Health and Wellness for guidance and assistance.
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