EN 
ES Denisse Ávila is a lawyer and a mother. With more than 6 years of professional experience, she is an expert in labor and immigration law at Santamarina + Steta, supports individual and mass dismissal processes, as well as operators and managers, and advises clients in particular work demand processes in various Boards of Conciliation around the Mexican Republic.
Also, in the last year, Denisse has experienced firsthand breastfeeding and working full-time. On Mother's Day, she shares her testimony with us as she seeks to raise awareness and encourage companies to generate changes to support breastfeeding.
Today I celebrate one year of breastfeeding, which due to my full-time job, was 90% deferred. The term “delayed” refers to feeding with expressed breast milk given to the baby through a cup, spoon, bottle, or any other mechanism selected by the mother.
I know this is not the case for most working moms, as many currently face various barriers that reduce the possibility of successful breastfeeding. I faithfully believe that maternity and work are compatible as long as the conditions to protect maternity are created within the company where you work.
For a successful deferred lactation, it is not only required that the mother wishes it since there are other factors that directly or indirectly influence this process and decision, and I think they must know about them because, in Mexico, we lack a lot of information about it. In particular, as you may have anticipated, I will focus on my experience and the recommendations that she would make to companies and workplaces.
Many companies will wonder what benefit there is in supporting mothers in this process. To name a few:
- Studies have shown that breastfed babies get sick less, which means less absenteeism on the part of mothers.
- Breastfeeding causes women to produce oxytocin and other hormones that prevent postpartum depression, which makes mothers perform their duties better.
- When women feel supported in their work environment, they are more likely to decide to return after their period of disability.
The above are just some of the benefits but we cannot ignore the fact that the Federal Labor Law itself, in article 170, contemplates support for a certain period for lactating women:
IV. During the lactation period, up to a maximum period of six months, they will have two extraordinary rest periods per day, of half an hour each, to feed their children in an appropriate and hygienic place designated by the company or when this is not possible, prior agreement with the employer, their work day will be reduced by one hour during the indicated period.
Speaking from my experience, I can say that this time I had a different breastfeeding than with my first daughter, I had to travel and visit clients during this process, and I realized how much we as a country need to know more about the subject and be a support for all those working moms.
On my trips, I had to request and defend myself with the people at the airport to transfer the milk that I extracted during the trip without having to document it. I would not want her to go downstairs with the bags, in temperatures that I do not know they adjust to the necessary temperature to preserve breast milk during the journey. It is impressive how the policy of many airports only allows you to transfer breast milk when you bring the infant with you, but not without him. What happens when the mother works and she cannot take her children on the trip but she needs to extract food? It is illogical and absurd that they ask you to document or, where appropriate, throw away that breast milk because, to begin with, it is not easy to extract it. It requires time and sacrifice from each mother.
Today I write from my personal experience, and I reiterate that I know that the challenges that Mexican working mothers face are very different, even from the fact that I am lucky enough to have been able to purchase an electric breast pump that has the features I need, which is not the case for many women. In other countries, the government supports working moms to purchase a pump, an amazing policy that supports working moms.
Finally, my intention with this testimony about my breastfeeding process is to raise awareness and open the eyes of all those individuals with the capacity and power to generate some change in their company so breastfeeding is supported. Without a doubt, I know that I chose the right firm because, at all times, Santamarina + Steta has looked for a way to help me throughout this incredible process.
Denisse Ávila
Monterrey Associate
davila@s-s.mx
