To support the health and well-being of both new parents and their baby, Indiana University is committed to supporting lactating employees as they return to work. Talk with your supervisor or local human resource office to discuss your plans to return to work while continuing to breast or chest feed your newborn.
IU Lactation Benefits & Resources
Indiana University provides wellness rooms to support Academics, Staff, and Students who need a private space for expressing milk. Click on your campus below to learn more.
Lactation support, supplies, and counseling are covered under IU-sponsored medical plans as preventive care with no member cost.
Lactation Medical Benefits
One breast pump is covered under all IU-sponsored medical plans at no cost during pregnancy following delivery when purchased from in-network providers.
Steps to obtain a qualified breast pump:
- Obtain a prescription from an OB/GYN for the breast pump (pediatricians do not provide a prescription for breast pumps),
- Purchase a pump through a local in-network Durable Medical Equipment (or DME) provider, or
- Purchase a pump through an online or national in-network DME provider.
*Sometimes, the OB/GYN provider will not provide a breast pump prescription until the baby is born, but it is good to have this conversation ahead of time to know how to get a prescription from their office.
Obtaining a Pump
The breast pump is considered durable medical equipment (DME), under an IU-sponsored medical plan. The prescription should be filled through an Anthem in-network DME provider. This can be the hospital, an approved local brick-and-mortar, or an online DME provider. Employees can find an in-network, DME provider by clicking here.
Alternatively, many employees order breast pumps through national online providers that are part of the Anthem network:
- Edgepark Medical Supply – 888-394-5375 – www.edgepark.com
- McKesson – 877-856-1293 – www.simplymedical.com
- Byram Healthcare – 877-902-9726 – www.byramhealthcare.com
Start Your Child's Medical Coverage - As an IU Academic or Staff employee enrolled in a medical plan, eligible dependents can be enrolled in the same plan when a qualifying change in status occurs. Enrollment must take place within 30 days of the newborn's birth, adoption, or legal guardianship.
Paid Parental Leave is provided to an eligible staff employee, following a birth or adoption of a child, in recognition of the importance of work + life synergy and offering parents the opportunity to bond with their new child.
IU Tax Saver Benefit Plan - Dependent Care reimbursement account may help you save money on child care and medical care expenses.
The 24-Hour Nurse Line (dial 888-279-5449) is a resource for those enrolled in one of the IU-sponsored medical plans who need guidance on non-emergency health questions and concerns.
Telehealth services are similar to an office visit. Doctors you see online are prepared to assess your conditions, offer a treatment plan, and send prescriptions to a pharmacy of your choosing. Learn more at LiveHealth Online.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for their nursing child for one year after the child's birth each time such employee has need to express the milk. Employees are entitled to a place to pump at work, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public. The law includes the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”), and more information about that can be found here.
Ind. Code § 5-10-6-2 and § 22-2-14-2 (2008) provide that state and political subdivisions shall provide for reasonable paid breaks for an employee to express milk for their infant, make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location, other than a toilet stall, where the employee can express milk in private as well as make reasonable efforts to provide a refrigerator to keep the milk that has been expressed.
Research has proven that breast/chest feeding plays a vital role in giving newborns a healthy start on life and maintaining moms’ good health. Therefore, it is important that employees who have the opportunity to breast/chest feed their newborns are presented with a welcoming and supportive environment when they return to work.
Few changes in life are as significant as welcoming a new child into your family. For all working parents, learning to navigate work and family responsibilities is both intricate and fulfilling. Here are 4 tips for a smoother transition back to work.
Be kind to yourself
This is rule No. 1. Your whole life has changed, and finding your “new normal” as a working parent will take time -- and some trial and error. Be kind and gentle with yourself through this journey.
Get familiar with the policies
Start at the source. Understanding the policies is the first step in crafting a plan for parental leave and your return to work. For questions about how these policies might affect you, contact your departmental HR representative or AskHR.
Communicate with your supervisor
Get and stay on the same page. As early as you feel comfortable, communicate with your supervisor about the timeline of your upcoming life event. It might be a good idea to discuss these topics: leave and return dates, projects to be covered, how you will inform your supervisor once the baby has arrived, and set expectations for communications during your leave.
Explore Child Care Options in Your Community
One of the top-priorities for working parents is finding quality care for their children. Quality child care is in high demand in many Indiana communities. It is never too soon to begin exploring child care options in your local area. Start today and get ahead.
Additional Resources
Breast or chest feeding gives your baby a healthy start on life! Here are a few reasons why breast/chest feeding is good for you and your baby.
Breast/Chest Feeding Health Benefits for:
Babies
- Reduces rates of type 2 diabetes and incidence of obesity
- Decreases rates of leukemia and lymphoma
- Fewer and less severe respiratory and gastrointestinal infections
- Reduced risk of developing asthma and allergies
- Strengthened immune systems
- Fewer instances of constipation and diarrhea
Lactating Parents
- Lowers blood pressure
- Decreases cholesterol levels
- Lowers rates of breast and ovarian cancer
- Reduces risk of diabetes
- Reduced bleeding after giving birth
- Decreased instances of postpartum depression
- Burns calories that can contribute to post-pregnancy weight loss
Human milk is an excellent source of nutrition that sets up your baby for healthy growth and development and can also benefit his or her immune system. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends human milk as the sole source of nutrition for your baby for about 6 months. After six months, it can be continued for as long as both mother and baby desire it.
If breast or chest feeding is not an option, there is an alternative. Feeding your newborn donor milk can help your newborn receive the antibodies and nutrients he or she needs.
Donor milk is human milk that has been donated to a milk bank by prescreened donors. The donated milk is tested, pasteurized, frozen, and distributed to families of babies who need it. Donor milk is usually prescribed by the newborn’s healthcare provider.
Formula Feeding
Infant formula can provide excellent nutrition for your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides a series of articles, where you can learn about what to look for in a baby formula, and most importantly, how to prepare and store your baby’s formula safely.
Find the articles on Formula Feeding here.
Fed Is Best Foundation provide safe, infant feeding education for breastfeeding, mixed-feeding, formula-feeding, pumped-milk-feeding, and tube-feeding mothers and families to prevent feeding complications to babies that have become too common from the pressure to exclusively breastfeed at all costs.
CDC Proper Handling and Storage of Human Milk
Travel Recommendations for Lactating Individuals
TSA Special Procedures related to human milk, formula, and infant feeding equipment across all airport security checkpoints.
Learn about additional resources to support your breast/chest feeding journey.
- LactMed is a database containing information on drugs and other chemicals that are safe or harmful to lactating mothers. Suggested alternatives are also provided.
- Lactation Consultants in Your Community - An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant© (IBCLC©) is a healthcare professional who specializes in the clinical management of breast/chest feeding.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Provides information that supports lactating individuals.
- March of Dimes - Leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies, March of Dimes provides guidance on how to breast/chest feed, use a breast pump, transitioning your baby to solid foods, and much more.
- La Leche League International - Helps mothers worldwide to breast/chest feed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education. Find a support group.
- Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition promotes, empowers, embraces, and encourages African-American women to breast/chest feed.
- The Milk Bank provides safe pasteurized donor mothers’ milk for fragile infants as well as lactation resources and free lactation support.
Find additional resources in your community here.