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The choice to become a mother should start with being responsible when it comes to sexual activity. If you don’t want to have a child then don’t have sex or if you do be extemely careful about using birth control consistently…but do know that even if you use it you can still get pregnant. If there’s a choice involved it should involve the baby, the mother already made her choice when she decided to be sexually active. Give the babies a chance!

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In many companies, part time work is impossible to get. I’d like to continue working in my professional capacity. But in company after company, the part time people are always the first to be laid off, or be forced into full time. I tried for two years to find a part time job at my old company, then decided to go freelance (where I have no benefits). I’ve tried negotiating for part time during hiring… it’s an easy way to get laughed out the door. I have a strong resume and great experience, but part time is a complete deal breaker.

Talking to friends in management, they’re stuck too. Generally, managers are allocated employees based on headcount, not hours. A person is a person, regardless of number of hours worked. So even if a manager supports part time work in theory, they are penalized for it in practice.

I’d like someone to address the very real desire of many women (and parents) to take the option of less money and fewer hours. Many women would like this but can’t get it.

Many, many “white collar” jobs seem to come in a one-size-fits-all package.

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Hi Bill,

Glad you’re asking about pumping at work, and thanks for looking into it. I pumped at work for two years (one year per child) and consider myself somewhat of an expert! I had a great, supportive workplace.

The first answer is please do not make women pump in the restroom. Many women end up there because there is nowhere else to go, but it’s icky. For some women (like me) it may take half an hour or more. No one wants to hang around in a restroom for half an hour! Also it’s unsanitary. Breast milk, and all the various parts of a breast pump, need to stay clean.

You need:

A door that locks.
An electrical outlet.
A table or comfortable place to set a breast pump (sometimes they’re big and bulky).
A chair. Expressing milk sometimes takes 20-40 minutes.
Access to a fridge, or at least a place to put a cooler. Expressed milk needs to be refrigerated.
Access to a sink to rinse out breast pump parts… if not that, at least a paper towel dispenser.

I pumped in the company’s “phone rooms”… small little room with locking door used to make private phone calls. I had net access and my laptop, so I could read email, call clients, or eat my lunch–generally be as productive as possible.

Thanks for looking into this. The breastfeeding moms at your company will be very appreciative!

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While I don’t necessarily disagree with much of what Momsrising and other organizations propose for working moms, I am very concerned that the legistlation being proposed is unfair to moms who choose to stay at home. I believe that my children are happiest, safest, and best supervised when I provide the infant and after school care. I realize that not all moms find themselves in the position to provide after school care or pre-school care, and I am not saying that they should be discriminated against for this situation. However, these programs do have a cost and that cost will be paid by all taxpayers regardless of their use of the programs.

My husband and I have made the conscious choice to sacrifice the second income I could provide to enable me to provide care for the children. Yet more and more our society is adjusting to a two income family. Things are more expensive in part because two-income families can pay for them. More and more of my husband’s paycheck is going to pay for after-school and paternity programs for other people’s kids. In my neighborhood, several latch-key kids show up at my house after school and during summer break to play with my kids. I supervise them and often feed them lunch. My kids can’t go to their houses to play though, because there is no adult present to supervise. I’m just the neighborhood free babysitting service.

Bottome line is that when introducing legislation that will help the single and working mothers of the world, don’t forget about us stay-at-home moms. If our tax dollars are going to be spent on these programs, then we should get tax credits for providing those services ourselves. Equal pay for equal work!

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I am running to become a delegate in my congressional district. I am doing this in large part because I want to influence my children’s future. My question is: can Momsrising.org support candidates running to be delegates? If not, can individual Momsrising members do so? It just seems that there has got to be a way for us to stand united in our efforts to make our issues heard. I would also be happy to wear a momsrising t-shirt when I give my 1 minute speech at my congressional district caucus.

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One of our employees asked if it was possible to put something in the women’s restroom to provide a comfortable space for her to use a breast pump while she is at work. Since we are in the process of remodeling our offices, this seems like something simple to provide. I am clueless, thought never crossed my mind (OK I am a man, so I need some help on these things). I am already putting in changing stations as we frequently have spouses who visit with the office with the children. I am happy to install whatever is needed, but don’t seem to be able to find information as to what equipment, etc might be available. This can’t be a new issue and there must be some type of fold down seats, fold down benches, tables or whatever out there in the market, or some pictures or examples of what other companies have done.

Any one with any info or suggestions will be appreciated. You can e-mail me directly at bill.haas@dptechnology.com

Thanks

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I think there are many issues facing moms, children and families these days, but I would love to mention one issue that affects me and my family.

I am a full time college student. I am in medical school, actually. I have to take out loans, with interest, to put my child into day care while I am in class. The on campus day care at this private college is actually a very expensive private school, with tuition for a three year old starting at above $13,000 a year. My budget to take out loans to cover childcare (which I have to pay back, with interest) is $6,000 a year. Moms in grad school (and undergrad, as far as I am concerned) should get child care subsidies or grants, especially if they are living on loans. Regardless of prior income (and I only made $12,000 last year, and this year I have $0 income, but apparently I don’t qualify for any programs.)

I found a slightly less expensive program off campus, but they are on a different calendar than the med school, so it is not ideal. And, it still costs plenty more than the amount of loans I am awarded for day care in the budget. We were out of money a month and a half before last semester was over, right before Christmas.

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We women need to make sure that motherhood always remains a choice. It’s very hard to be a good mother if you are saddled with an unwanted child…and in this political climate, we need to do what we can to make sure that abortion remains safe and legal.

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I live in the San Fernando Valley – northwest of Los Angeles. The most important issue to me right now is the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Why? Because we have had about a dozen children born in close proximity to this site develop a rare cancer – retinal blastoma. This cancer leads to the removal of the child’s eye.
These same children also suffer from other environmental illnesses – autoimmune and cancers.
This site is just an example – toxic sites across the U.S. are being “Fast Tracked” – cleaned up in a manner that is not necessarily the most protective method of cleanup for public health, and leaving a toxic environment where schools and parks end up being built. The cleanup of “hot spots” and Superfund sites, and other sites that do not qualify for federal Superfund status, needs to be an issue for all Mothers.

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Informed Voters… Don’t fall for baloney!!!
Demand that the candidate you support
releases their Tax Return and financial disclosure. Obama had released his tax returns and financials, Clinton has refused.
That issue alone speaks volumes about honesty, integrity and transparency. We need to know from where and how our candidates make their money. If Clinton has nothing to hide, then she must release her tax returns like Obama and Mc Cain and Huckabee have.
I suspect she has financial dealings with less than desirable people who will negatively reflect on her politically and that is why she is
refusing to disclose. Undecided voters BEWARE
do your research, google “Clinton tax returns fraud” and read the news articles for yourself.
When you are done reading look into your heart and you will know where to cast your vote.

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