Pregnancy Discrimination Suit: A US District Court judge ruled in favor of women seeking a class action suit against Novartis Pharmaceuticals, alleging gender discrimination, and specific instances of pregnancy discrimination. The women involved, who held sales positions, report that in addition to being denied promotions and raises, they were discouraged from becoming pregnant and mistreated if they became pregnant. One woman alleges that she was encouraged by her manager to get an abortion. Another woman testified that her manager told her he does not favor hiring young women because “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes flex time and a baby carriage.”

Mixed Messages: A UK woman who was six weeks pregnant began bleeding heavily and was told that she was miscarrying. She was sent home with instructions to begin taking labor-inducing drugs. Two weeks later, the woman was still experiencing pregnancy symptoms. Doctors confirmed that she is still indeed pregnant. Her baby is due in February, but it is unknown at this time if the baby is healthy. The woman expressed anger over the incident: “After being told my baby was dead, this was unbelievable. I want to know how this could happen.”

It’s a Girl! And their seventh. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar welcomed their 17th child, whom they named Jennifer Danielle. Less than 30 minutes after her birth, the couple, who have been featured in cable television documentary programs, were talking about having more. Jennifer joins siblings Joshua, 19; John David, 17; Janna, 17; Jill, 16; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 9; Jedidiah, 8; Jeremiah, 8; Jason 7; James 6; Justin, 4; Jackson, 3; Johannah, almost 2.

Breastfeeding Numbers Still Low: The CDC reports that while more women are now initiating breastfeeding (almost 75%), far fewer than that are exclusively breastfeeding, with roughly 30% of mothers only breastfeeding at three months, and just over 11% at six months. A CDC spokesman notes that quite it is “alarming that mothers and infants are not receiving the full health benefits most associated with exclusive breastfeeding.”

It’s no secret that many moms feel that the United States has a prohibitively strict policy on maternity leave. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, new mothers get twelve weeks of unpaid maternity leave.

That might not sound so horrible if I hadn’t just read this writeup of a recent National Geographic survey involving 168 nations (or 167 and Australia, if that makes more sense to you). Of the 168 places surveyed, 163 countries offer at least some paid maternity leave. Not us, though! (And not Australia, Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, or Swaziland.)

The United States has been criticized harshly in recent years over its lack of paid maternity leave. It has consistently ranked behind its counterparts in that area, although some (mostly non-parents) would argue that there’s no need to change the way things are and that trying to provide paid maternity leave would fuel economic woes. However:

“Studies have shown that paid parental leave can improve the long-term physical, mental and emotional health of children. And offices with paid parental leave have higher levels of job satisfaction leading to lower job turnover and higher productivity,” National Geographic said in a summary of its coverage.

43 nations surveyed also offer paid paternity leave. (I know, try not to keel over in surprise.)

Posted by Sunshine.

Over at Mama Knows Breast, we learn that the Transportation Security Administration has issued new guidelines on carrying pumped breast milk onto flights. The old rules allowed a mother traveling without a baby to carry on no more than three ounces of pumped milk. Any overage had to be checked. (Oddly enough, as Andi notes, moms with babies in tow could bring on more than three ounces…strange, as moms with babies on their laps should have less need to cart around breast milk - unless, of course, they’re exclusively pumping mommas, as I was.)

According to the TSA press release:

TSA is also modifying the procedures associated with carrying breast milk through security checkpoints. Mothers flying with or without their child will be permitted to bring breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces as long as it is declared for inspection at the security checkpoint.

The new rules go into effect on August 4th.

And this, from the TSA’s FAQ:

Q. Why is breast milk not a threat?
A. Breast milk is a medical necessity and it is being classified as such. It must be declared at the checkpoint.

Q. How do you ensure liquid explosives disguised as breast milk or medications are not brought through the checkpoint?
A. Since September 2006, certain liquid medications have been permitted at the checkpoint as long as they are declared to security officers and are subject to additional screening.

Q. Do passengers carrying breast milk need to taste it to prove it is not a liquid explosive?
A. No. We will not ask a traveler to taste breast milk.

All well and good, but if I were pumping and traveling, I think I’d print out that press statement, just for good measure.

Happy trails!

Posted by MommaSteph.

Former Blue Lady: Australian television personality Jessica Rowe shared that she was ashamed to admit that she struggled with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter, even though she has long been an advocate for those with mental health issues (her mother battled bipolar disorder). Her difficulties in acknowledging her depression stemmed in part from the fact that she underwent four IVF attempts before becoming pregnant. “I felt ashamed. How could I feel like this when I finally had this beautiful treasure?” She went public with her struggle when she named a mental health initiative as the charity she’ll support as a contestant on the Aussie version of Dancing with the Stars.

The Implications of Pregnancy Acceptance: A study out of the University of Missouri - Columbia finds that a mother’s feelings about being pregnant have a strong impact on her relationship with her baby later on, and on that child’s healthy attachment. Mothers who had trouble with pregnancy acceptance also were more likely to later find motherhood burdensome. The study focused on 173 young, black mothers. “Making services, such as childcare, available to low-income mothers is a major way we can help relieve stress that can negatively affect children. Overall, mothers want what is best for their children,” notes the lead researcher.

Working Moms and Kiddie Fat? Researchers out of the Institute of Child Health in London tracked 13,000 children to age three and found that preschoolers of more affluent parents were more likely to be overweight, the more so if the mother works. The researchers called the study a wake-up call for the middle class, speculating: “Long hours of maternal employment, rather than lack of money, may impede young children’s access to healthy foods and physical activity.”

Cup Recall: CVS Stores and the CPSC announced a recall of Playskool toddler sippy cups because of reports of children chewing through the sippy spouts, with some incidents of choking (though no injuries) reported. Consumers should stop using the cups and visit a CVS for a refund.

Nice News: Anchorwoman Campbell Brown announced today that she’s leaving her long-time job at NBC for a spot at CNN. Noted Ms. Brown, “I’m making some decisions right now that I think make a lot of sense for me and my family.” Make that, expanding family. Ms. Brown also announced that she and her husband are expecting their first child.

Children’s Health Insurance Program Update: President Bush is threatening to veto the compromise bill hammered out in Congress to expand funding for State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a federal/state government partnership that offers health insurance to children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but who struggle to afford private insurance. The President’s spokesperson notes that he objects to how some states have used the program’s flexible guidelines to cover adults, and that the program constitutes “a gradual government takeover of healthcare”. The President favors a $5 billion increase in funding (the compromise bill adds $35 billion). Republicans in Congress predict that if the President vetoes the bill, the chance of a veto override are high, as the legislation has broad bipartisan support.

Working Dad has a piece up on a recent Pew poll that shows that only 1/5 of working moms say that full-time employment is their ideal. Of those with young children, 16% find full-time work ideal, down from 31% a decade ago.

We had a couple of polls on the boards last spring on this topic, one for working moms, one for at-home moms, and the results jive with the Pew poll, with 16% of working moms voicing a preference for full time work, while over half would like to work part time, and 23% would prefer to stay at home full time.

Of the at-home moms, slightly more would prefer to work part time over being completely at-home.

Some other interesting findings from the Pew poll:

• 72% of dads say full-time work is their ideal.
• Only 26% of dads rated their parenting performance a 9 or 10 out of 10, 11 percentage points lower than all moms polled.
• Only 10% of working moms gave themselves the highest marks as parents, compared with 28% of at-home moms.

For polling info on societal attitudes towards working moms, check out the rest of the Working Dad piece.

Posted by MommaSteph.

My husband and I are considering a major transition in our household in the next six months or so. He very well may become the stay-at-home parent while I go to work for a few years. We’re both dissatisfied with how things are - his job is stressful, and I feel like I need to contribute to our finances and have something other than childcare that’s “mine,” etc.

But if he takes over the parenting duties, how will I cope? Will I become “momblocked?” What is that, anyway?

According to Victoria Clayton of MSNBC, the term “momblocked” refers to working women (with SAHD partners) who feel that their parenting role has become minimized or shunted to the side. Dad becomes the alpha parent; Mom feels left out or unimportant.

For anyone considering letting Dad be the primary caregiver, keep these issues and hints in mind:

Realize that you each have your own parenting style - and don’t nitpick. A parent who feels competent is going to be happier and more hands-on involved with the kids, and that’s what you want your child(ren) to be around, right?

There will be times when your child will respond better to his father than to you. It’s not you! There are just going to be those little things (washing hair, for example) that the child becomes used to doing with only one person. It’s not that Dad is a better parent, but if he’s the one who is around all day, he may have a slightly better understanding of your child on one level or another. Don’t take it personally - it’s the same “advantage” SAHMs have with their kids and is not a reflection on you as a parent.

Communicate - especially when you feel blocked. If, say, your daughter only wants Daddy to read her a bedtime story one night, even though he’s been with her all day already, you might feel hurt. When he comes out of her room, let him know that you’re feeling walled off (and perhaps even jealous). With Dad as your ally, not your adversary or competitor, you can figure out how to reconnect with the kids in your own special way. When both parents are working toward their children’s best interests, everybody wins.

Posted by Sunshining.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, workplace discrimination against pregnant women appears to have�risen in recent years. Since 1992, pregnancy discrimination complaints have gone up 45%. (Though, as discussed in this piece, some of this increase may be the result of women being more aware of their rights under the law.)

According to Elizabeth Grossman, an attorney with the EEOC, more than half the complaints they receive of pregnancy discrimination are of unfair termination of employment.� But, adds Grossman, the discrimination runs wide and deep. Women are passed over for promotion, outright demoted, treated differently, and denied training opportunities, all because of their pregnancies.

If discrimination is on the rise, Ms. Grossman notes, economic factors may be at play. Businesses struggle today with rising health care costs, which may color employers attitudes toward pregnant employees.� Needless to say, this doesn’t make it right.

Pregnancy discrimination is illegal. An employer cannot refuse to hire a woman because she is pregnant. If a woman’s pregnancy makes her unable to work, she must be treated the same as any other temporarily disabled employee at her company. Health insurance provided by employers must cover pregnancy-related treatment in a way comparable to other medical conditions. Single pregnant women must be treated the same as married ones.

And it is illegal to penalize an employee for filing a pregnancy discrimination charge against an employer.

If you feel you are experiencing pregnancy discrimination and you have been working for your employer for some time, you may wish to try to work out your complaint internally.� Otherwise, you can file a complaint with the EEOC.

You can read more about the Pregnancy Discrimination Ace on the EEOC website.

Also if you’re interested, there’s a discussion over at Feministing (via Radical Catholic Mom) about who should bear the cost of productivity loss when an employee leaves to have a baby.  Under current law, the employer is not required to give her paid maternity leave, but she is allowed to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act.   Her job must be saved for her, and in some cases that will require hiring and training a temp to fill the void, or having her co-workers pitch in overtime or assume additional responsibilities to cover her work.

Of course, this is no different from having any employee take leave for reasons of illness or disability, their own of that of a�family member, but if employers are screening out pregnant women - or women of childbearing age - when making new hires, the issues of economic and general workplace burden should be studied.  People generally agree that continuing the species is a good idea.  What are the roles of businesses, governments, and taxpayers in this endeavor?

Posted by MommaSteph.

Military Parents Get Some Protection: The House of Representatives passed an amendment aimed to protect deployed soldiers from losing permanent custody of their children. A recent news story profiled soldiers who had to make temporary arrangements for the care of their children when they were called up for service, and who were unable to regain custody once they returned from duty.

Mom always liked you better… A University of Illinois study finds that siblings often interpret imbalances in parental attention differently, believing that one or another family member is more favored.  Discussing the issues openly (”I bought Joe a car when he was 17 because he was working after school and needed transportation. I didn’t get one for you at this point because you’re working downtown and don’t even have a place to park a car.”) can help keep family members from making invalid assumptions.

Breastfeeding and HIV: A new study out of the University of California finds that a simple “flash heating” of the breastmilk of HIV positive mothers�effectively kills the virus. The researchers hope this discovery will help women in developing countries who often do not have safe alternatives for breastmilk.

Actress Mira Sorvino shares this about a working actress and mom:  “I feel so guilty because my kids cry so hard when I go to work. I know there are millions and millions of working women out in the world who face this same dilemma, but it just kind of kills me, and I don’t know what to do about it.” Ms. Sorvino is mother to two-year-old Mattea Angel and 11-month old Johnny.

College Athletics and Pregnancy: The NCAA’s committee on women in sports plans to spend time during its July meeting reviewing its guidelines on female athletes and pregnancy, particularly with regard to scholarships.  A recent news story of a Memphis track athlete who lost her scholarship when she became pregnant - and of other anonymous women who chose to have abortions rather than lose their college funding - has brought attention to the subject. Relatively few Division I schools in the NCAA have written policies on pregnant athletes.

Parental leave for dads, too: Under new British government proposals, when paid maternity leave is extended to twelve months in 2009, couples may decide for the dad to take the second six months of paid leave to care for the new baby as mom returns to work.