McHenry, IL, May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Medela announced a new initiative to support breastfeeding mothers working away from their babies by awarding free milk shipping. The #MedelaMailMyMilk initiative is designed to support breastfeeding mothers to overcome the challenges of balancing work and breastfeeding, especially those who travel for work without baby. Medela created the initiative to spotlight the critical role of new moms in the workplace while also creating a community of support by encouraging moms to share their stories of perseverance. The initiative was inspired by the real-life story of a pumping mom and navy nurse who experienced unexpected challenges when she made the difficult decision to continue breastfeeding while working away at a military hospital across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a perfect example of how one story can inspire a movement,” explains Melissa Gonzales, RN and executive vice president of the Americas for Medela. “COVID-19 has forced parents all over the country to make tough decisions. Lieutenant JG Daughters’ commitment to her baby and her profession is inspiring and we are honored to help her continue along her breastfeeding journey while she continues to care for patients during this critical time in our nation’s history. I hope this story also serves as a reminder for business leaders everywhere to evaluate how they are supporting parents, especially mothers, in the workforce.”
As a partner in National Women’s Health Week and in honor of Mother’s Day, Medela is launching the initiative in May to celebrate through action and support the health of women and infants across the nation. Through the #MedelaMailMyMilk initiative, Medela will sponsor one new mom from the USA each month through the rest of the year. The prize includes an estimated three months of milk shipping through a partnership with Milk Stork, valued at more than $1,600 for each mom. To enter, moms can visit the contest page to share their story and tag #MedelaMailMyMilk.+
“This is an incredible gift from Medela,” says new mom and Lieutenant JG Kourtney Daughters, NC, USN. “I am glad to be able to help young women transition to motherhood and continue my own pumping journey. Soon, I will ship what I’ve pumped to my baby who is 3,000 miles away from me. Motherhood is a powerful experience and distance cannot overcome it.”
Even though women have been in the workplace for more than 100 years, more support is needed. New parents continue to face a myriad of challenges in the workplace, especially breastfeeding mothers with young children. Over 57 percent of women in the workplace have children under the age of one years oldi and an estimated 4 out of 5 working women note they would like more support from their employers.ii New parents who travel for work experience unique challenges, with 65 percent of moms struggling to get their breast milk back home when travelling.iii Only nine states and the District of Columbia currently have a paid parental leave policy.iv
#MedelaMailMyMilk amplifies Medela’s comprehensive efforts to support awareness and advocacy for new parents in the workplace. Earlier this year, Medela’s top female executive in the Americas joined forces with leading women executives at Mamava and Milk Stork to call on businesses to improve support for new moms at work. These leading brands behind New Moms’ Healthy Returns shared a list of recommendations to improve the support for mothers in the workplace in an open letter, including parental leave and lactation support. New Moms’ Healthy Returns (NMHR) provides employers with customizable solutions including breastfeeding resources, Mamava lactation space solutions, 24/7 access to pediatric experts and breast milk shipping for traveling employees. NMHR also provides free resources for moms to help prepare for the transition back to work and navigate conversations with their employer, in addition to research and data to inform decisions for human resources professionals, business leaders, and managers.
To learn about the benefits of gender equity on workplace culture and productivity, read the white paper accessible at: www.newmomshealthyreturns.com/whitepaper. Moms can access a free guide Breastfeeding and Work: Your Survival Guide to the First Year.
About Medela
With headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, and a U.S.-based manufacturing and development facility in McHenry, Illinois, Medela supports millions of moms and babies and patients in more than 100 countries all over the world. As the #1 breast pump brand*, Medela provides the best in research-based breast milk feeding products and clinical education to support moms’ breast milk feeding journeys. The company is fully dedicated to supporting mothers so that they can provide breast milk to their baby for as long as they choose. For more information, visit www.medela.us/breastfeeding and follow on Instagram and Facebook.
About Milk Stork
Milk Stork was launched in August 2015 as the first-ever breast milk shipping company for moms who needed a simple solution for getting their breast milk to their babies back home. Working mom made, and made for working moms, Milk Stork supports more than 749 corporate partners who provide the service to their employees as an employee benefit, including Hilton, SAP, Pinterest, Nissan, and Home Depot. In February 2019, Milk Stork was awarded Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Award in the Travel category for its unparalleled commitment to supporting working, traveling moms. In May 2020, Milk Stork launched its MotherShop™, a curated collection of innovative and unique parenting essentials that were created by moms with moms in mind. For more information on Milk Stork, visit www.milkstork.com.
i U.S. Department of Labor. Data and Statistics: Mother’s and Families. Accessed May 2021.
ii New Moms Healthy Returns. The Return-to-Work Experience After a New Baby. January 2020.
iii New Moms Healthy Returns. The Return-to-Work Experience After a New Baby. January 2020.
iv Kaiser Family Foundation. Paid Family and Sick Leave in the U.S. December 2020.
*Voted most trusted breast pump brand by United States and Canadian shoppers based on the 2020 BrandSpark® American and Canadian Trust Studies
+ Contest rules are accessible through the contest page: https://woobox.com/vngn9n
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