Moms Rising: advert-body-3 by Wongdoody

Bathroom stalls, coat checks and storage closets are just a few of the less-than-stellar places that breastfeeding moms have been forced to pump milk in due to a lack of proper pumping facilities.

Wongdoody is drawing attention to this issue via a campaign called #IPumpedHere for nonprofit Moms Rising that encourages moms to share the ridiculous (and often unsanitary) places that they’ve pumped in. The goal of the campaign is to urge lawmakers and employers to expand protections for breastfeeding moms in the workplace.

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to provide a “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth” and “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public.”

However, Moms Rising argues that the federal law doesn't go far enough and leaves the wording “open for interpretation.” At IPumpedHere.org, the nonprofit has listed proposed guidelines to help businesses understand what exactly breastfeeding mothers need, like a sink and faucet “deep enough to wash bottles and pump parts” and a “midsize refrigerator for milk storage.”

Moms Rising also points out that the federal law “leaves millions of workers without any protections at all” since it primarily covers hourly wage-earning employees. On its site, the organization is urging people to sign a petition that asks lawmakers to consider expanding protections for breastfeeding moms who work.