Most women plan to breastfeed. In 2021, 93% of new mothers indicated beginning breastfeeding in the hospital, with 70% exclusively doing so. As 2 out of 3 moms return to work, working moms need support to continue breastfeeding. Moms with support are 2x more likely to exclusively breastfeed at 3 months. However, only half of moms have workplace breastfeeding support. Moms with lower household income are less likely to have workplace breastfeeding support than moms with higher household income.

Data and Reports

There are several Federal and California laws and regulations enacted to protect a mother's right to breastfeed. The U.S. Department of Labor and California Department of Industrial Relations provide various resources to help programs

Systems and Environmental Change | Guidelines and Resources | Employers | Child Care

Change to Civil Code Section 43.3 gives a women the right to breastfeed her child in a public place. This protection is needed since women breastfeeding in a public place may be asked to stop, leave or cover up, causing embarrassment and stigmatization. Embarrassment remains a barrier to breastfeeding. California has additional laws that help accommodate breastfeeding mothers in order to address those barriers.

Breastfeeding laws | Lactation accommodation laws