Celebrate National Breastfeeding Month with Paid Leave for ALL! SIGN NOW

Dear Friend,

Through the month of August we celebrate National Breastfeeding Month and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate breastfeeding and chestfeeding parents than to pass comprehensive paid family and medical leave!

→ Tell Congress, we need a comprehensive and robust paid  family and medical leave so breastfeeding/chestfeeding parents and all people can care for their families without fear of losing their job or damaging their family's finances.

Here’s the deal: Right now, 1 in 4 women are back at work within two weeks of giving birth because they cannot afford to take any additional unpaid time away. [1]  TWO WEEKS!?! As a result, many new moms are back at work before they’ve been able to recover from giving birth and before they’ve been able to establish breastfeeding routines. 

So while 4 out of 5 mothers in the U.S. start out breastfeeding, less than half are still breastfeeding at six months postpartum. [2]  Moms of color struggle even more: Breastfeeding initiation rates for Black moms are significantly lower than breastfeeding rates for other moms in almost half of the country, and the disparity widens by 25% in seven states. [3]  The lack of access to paid leave is one of the barriers that so many parents face in meeting their breastfeeding goals.

The good news is there is a solution - public policies that can help empower parents to meet their breastfeeding/chestfeeding goals!

Add your name now and tell Congress we need paid leave for all families.

The 28-year-old Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was an important first step to supporting working families. But it was always meant to be a starting point, not the stopping point. The fact that it is unpaid means millions who are eligible to use FMLA can’t because they can’t afford unpaid time away from work. Meanwhile, only 19% of working people have access to paid family and medical leave through their employer right now. [4]

This summer, we have a chance to pass paid family and medical leave for all and bring relief to working families struggling with being there when a new child arrives or in a moment of critical illness for an older adult or yourself. Paid family and medical leave is critical for the economic security and well being of our families. It is key to bettering businesses and our economy and will lead to long term health and stability for our nation.

Tell Congress to pass paid leave this summer. And be sure to share this email, or paste the link on Facebook, so your friends and family can take action too!

Let’s pass paid leave this summer.

-- Tina, Namatie, Ruth, and the whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder Team 



References: 
[1] The Real War on Families: Why the U.S. Needs Paid Leave Now
[2] 2020 Breastfeeding Report Card, CDC
[3] Racial and Geographic Differences in Breastfeeding — United States, 2011–2015
[4] Paid Family Leave in the United States - A Primer on Working Family Trends and Paid Family Leave

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