Working With Kids

Structure is Key to Success of Babies at Work

I recently received a comment to this blog from a woman whose coworker brought her baby to work in the same office.  She described the experience as being very  "negative" and distracting.  One quote I found particularly interesting:  "My coworker can't keep her focus on anything but her baby, so I end up doing her work as well as mine. Her excuse: 'You'll have to do ______ task for me, because I have to change the baby's diaper/feed the baby/take the baby to the doctor/change the baby's outfit, etc etc.' On top of all this, every morning I'm forced to watch another slide show of baby pictures from the night before."

Also, today, Leslie Morgan Steiner posted an entry in her blog about my babies-at-work site.  Many of the commenters have similar views--that bringing babies to work would be too distracting, babies would cry all the time, and it's just not realistic.

So I wanted to explain a bit.  A free-for all scenario is not what I mean when I talk about babies in the workplace.  The idea is not to replace work with baby care, and it is critical in implementing these programs that parents still get work done and that coworkers do not feel unduly burdened by the baby's presence.  A key reason that established baby programs work so well is because they are structured and expectations are made very clear from the outset.  These programs don't work if a baby cries a lot.  They don't work if a parent simply can't find ways to multitask between work and caring for their baby.  They don't work if 90% of everyone else in the office hates babies. 

Many work programs (such as a vacation policy) wouldn't work without clear guidelines and expectations.  A baby program is the same way.  Within the context of a clear-cut program with clear-cut guidelines (and with an explicit rule that the company retains the right to say, "This isn't working" for a particular baby if work isn't getting done or the baby is crying all the time), babies-at-work programs are incredibly effective in a wide range of organizations.  Healthy babies aren't meant to cry for substantial lengths of time--and they don't, assuming that parents give their babies extensive physical contact (in a sling or carrier or simply on their laps) and respond quickly to their needs (and breastfeeding helps too in terms of easy-soothing and keeping babies healthy).  In companies with long-term baby programs, the babies are tremendously content (for these reasons and others)--and that's one huge reason these programs work so well.

I acknowledge that on the surface the idea of bringing babies to work sounds intimidating or ridiculous to many people.  My goal is to organize the evidence from dozens of organizations that shows that in practice, these programs can and do work--and they work well.

Explaining the Reasons Behind a Decision

This past weekend, we were visiting with a friend of mine who has a son of Alpha's age.  My friend has one of those huge trampolines in her back yard--with no net around it.  Alpha and her friend jumped on the trampoline frequently during the visit.  At one point, the boy tried to jump off (the bouncy part is about 3 feet off the ground) onto the grass and ended up accidentally landing at the base of his spine instead of his feet--he was not seriously hurt but the pain bothered him the rest of the afternoon.  Alpha was very careful to stay in the middle of the trampoline, and I was watching her nearly all the time, so I wasn't really that worried during the visit.  The kids were discussing having a sleepover in the near future, and the boy's mother commented that they could spend a lot of time on the trampoline if Alpha could stay the entire day after a sleepover.

A couple of days later, I decided to do some research on trampoline injuries.  Turns out that about 75,000 children end up in emergency rooms each year due to trampoline injuries, a significant number with spine or head injuries.  I really try not to be too overprotective with Alpha (for example, I'm fine with her climbing trees, although I've taught her to test branches before putting her weight on them).  But as I read article after article talking about how frequently and easily trampoline injuries happen (and remembering how rambunctious Alpha's friends could be), and considering the disastrous impact of spinal injuries, I decided that I really wasn't comfortable with Alpha being on the trampoline at all unless I was right there to watch for problems and keep things under control.  I knew, however, that saying, "Alpha, you're not allowed to jump on the trampoline when you're visiting your friend by yourself," would immediately result in strong resistance to the idea.  So, I called Alpha from the living room into my office (where my computer is) and said I wanted to talk to her about something.  I told her about the research I had done, and I read her some of the sentences from the articles talking about the injuries that happen and the huge number of kids that get hurt.  I explained what the articles said about how most injuries happen.  I said that it really scared me, especially the risks of spinal injuries (she knows what paralysis is) and that even a broken arm or leg would be really painful and would impact her life for a long time.  Then I asked her if she remembered her friend's injury of that past weekend.  After explaining all that, I said, "I'm really not comfortable with you jumping on the trampoline when I'm not with you--I just think the risks are too high that you'll get hurt." 

Alpha LOVES trampoline jumping.  But after I said that, she simply said, "Okay."  There was no argument.  Because I had given her the details, she understood the risks, she understood that I wasn't being arbitrary, and I'm sure she appreciated that I wasn't completely eliminating her fun--I was just defining parameters (I had to be close by and monitoring things).  A few seconds after she agreed, she said, "What will I say when [my friend] asks why I'm not jumping?"  I told her she could just tell him that I thought it was too dangerous and wanted to be there to prevent injuries; she seemed content with that.  I trust her absolutely to follow the rule--she is very good about living up to what she promises.

And that was it.  No tears, no anger--just two people coming to an agreement.  I wish *all* my interactions with my kids were this easy (although I'm getting better at engaging cooperation from the start--incidentally, a GREAT book about how to engage children is How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk).

Edited to add:  After writing this and discussing it with others, I ended up deciding that it was unrealistic to expect Alpha to be there by herself (say, on a sleepover) and to maintain her promise while everyone else was happily jumping.  I talked to her last night and we came up with concrete rules for when I'm not there at all--she is going to only jump alone (a large number of injuries are due to multiple kids jumping at once) and isn't going to jump off the trampoline when she's done (she'll climb off).  That should greatly minimize her risk, and it should make it much more feasible for her to keep her word under pressure.

Formula in Hospital Gift Bags

This recent article discusses the recent decision by New York State hospitals to stop including formula samples in gift bags for new parents. The article discusses the extensive health benefits of (and risks to a baby of not) breastfeeding and recommends that babies be breastfed for at least a year if at all possible. It also references the studies that have shown that gifts of formula can interfere with successful breastfeeding. Parents (even if only unconsciously) get the impression that formula must be just as good as or better than nursing, since their doctor gave it to them, and this can undermine other information about the importance of breastfeeding--especially if a mother experiences complications or difficulties nursing in those early weeks.

The article also discusses the importance of proper support for new mothers in getting nursing well-established and addressing issues such as an improper or painful latch (most babies have to be taught how to nurse properly; nursing can be quite uncomfortable if they aren't attached right). Of course, returning to work is a huge issue for many women and can have a big impact on their decision whether to start breastfeeding and how long to continue. But for women who have access to babies-at-work programs, knowing that they will be able to stay with their babies and easily continue to nurse their baby when they return to work can make a substantial impact on their decision to start nursing in the first place. Also, especially for mothers who go back to work in the first several weeks of their baby's life, having access to advice and encouragement from their coworkers can be very useful in feeling empowered to continue breastfeeding.

Professional Costs of Maternity Leave

This recent article from Australia talks about a recent survey that found that "almost 20 per cent of Australian workers found taking maternity or paternity leave had harmed their careers."  Apparently difficulties with work/family balance are hardly limited to America.  This is just another example of how widespread adoption of babies-at-work programs could significantly benefit a large segment of a population. 

One important question would be to see how bringing a baby to work affects coworkers' and managers' perception of a parent's dedication to their career and professionalism.  Based on the companies I've studied, it seems that the majority of the time, working while caring for a baby tends to result in greatly increased respect and trust from coworkers and managers.  This is probably because so many people still believe the myth that all babies cry for long periods of time, and so watching a parent actually be able to keep their baby happy and complete their work tasks makes them look almost superhuman.  I imagine this effect will diminish as babies-at-work programs become more prevalent and our culture gets more accustomed used to the idea of babies being extensively held and given highly-responsive care.  However, since many new parents learn how to be much more efficient once they have a baby, employees who take part in babies-at-work programs will probably still see increased respect from coworkers and executives as they successfully balance both worlds. 

Then there's the effect that happy babies have on those around them.  In essentially every company with a baby program, numerous people who were initially resistant to the idea of babies at work ended up being grateful for the babies' presence and enjoyed having them around.  For people without children, being exposed to babies in the workplace can help them better appreciate a coworker-parent's point of view.  In addition, having happy babies around tends to lower coworkers' stress levels and improves moods--and happier people tend to be much less critical of others. 

Assuming that bringing their babies to the office works well (which seems to be true more than 90% of the time), it is likely that parents will benefit from returning to work much sooner (thus limiting "damage" to their professional reputation and projects from taking extended leave) as well as boosting their professional standing.

Breastmilk Kills Cancer Cells

I recently stumbled onto this very exciting article from 1999 and this follow-up article from late 2006 about a team in Sweden that has confirmed that human milk actually causes cancer cells to commit suicide.  Here's a fascinating quote from the article: 

“This is a substance that kills lots of tumor cells, every cancer we test it against,” Svensson says. “Lung cancer, throat cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, and pneumococcus bacteria too.” 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering that it's been known for a while that breastfeeding protects against cancers for both moms and babies (for example, from the first article:  "The relative risk of childhood lymphoma is nine times higher in bottle-fed infants, and the risk for carcinoma is also elevated").  What did surprise me, though, is that I consider myself pretty informed about breastfeeding benefits, but I had never before heard anything about this.  In the media (although coverage has been getting better in recent years), the primary comparison between breastfeeding and formula-feeding is made based on nutrition.  Although human milk actually changes day by day to meet the baby's exact growth needs, formula manufacturers argue that formula provides adequate nutrition, too, so they argue that a baby will be "just fine" if she's only given formula.

To me, the immune system benefits from nursing a child are what really count.  This is something formula really can't compete against--and it's why some breastfeeding is highly beneficial even if a baby is being given formula much of the time.  It's really important to me that, by breastfeeding, I directly lowered my children's lifelong risks for dozens of major diseases and day-to-day illnesses.  A mother's body makes antibodies for germs that are in her baby's body and then passes those antibodies to her baby during breastfeeding--which is one reason that breastfed babies tend to get sick less often and less severely.  Breastmilk can even be used topically (on a cut, say) and is a powerful germ killer.

I think most people in our society aren't really aware of the tremendous immune system benefits of breastfeeding.  Several highly-educated mothers have told me that they believed that "formula is just as good as breastfeeding for a baby's immune system," even though formula (even a brand that contains probiotics) is greatly inferior to human milk when it comes to building a baby's immune system. 

Maybe this knowledge gap is because risk comparisons don't tend to sink in very well.  I recently read a great book about how to make ideas "stick" in people's minds.  It turns out that a key component of a "sticky" idea is that you can easily visualize it.  Maybe "breastfeeding will lower your baby's risk of infections" just doesn't have the same memorable effect as a glitzy formula ad.

But can't you just "see" the molecules in a mother's milk actually killing cancer cells in her baby while he nurses?  Now THAT's memorable. 

Breastfeeding and Babies at Work

We're in the middle of World Breastfeeding Week.  I mention this because increased adoption of babies-at-work programs is likely to lead to a direct increase in the numbers of women breastfeeding (instead of deciding not to breastfeed at all if they think they won't be able to continue once they return to work) and the length of time they breastfeed.  Also, babies-at-work programs can have a positive effect on societal awareness and comfort with breastfeeding, as issues related to nursing are discussed among work colleagues as a result of babies being in the office (not to mention the habituation factor, in which breastfeeding becomes a non-issue as people see it more frequently).

I recently came upon an amazing statistic about lower health care costs when babies are breastfed:  "A minimum of $3.6 billion would be saved if breastfeeding were increased from current levels (64 percent in-hospital, 29 percent at 6 months) to those recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General (75 and 50 percent)."  This number is apparently a low estimate.  Companies with lactation programs and independent studies have confirmed that health care costs drop dramatically (as well as sick days taken by employees) when babies are breastfed.  The direct cost savings for businesses in supporting breastfeeding women (by starting a babies-at-work program and/or having a lactation support program) is well worth it--for example, CIGNA estimates that it saves $60,000 a year by supporting breastfeeding employees.

While workplace lactation programs (which involve, at a minimum, providing a comfortable, private area in which women can use a breast pump and break time for pumping) are certainly commendable and valuable, many women (myself included) find it very difficult to pump enough milk for their babies, especially in those early months.  For some women, it's difficult to convince their bodies to have the same milk let-down response with a pump that would occur when nursing their babies.  Also, most breast pumps just aren't as efficient at extracting milk as is a baby.  A babies-at-work program gives women the option to continue nursing their babies easily in those early months--while providing all the other business benefits that come along with these programs.