Obama Orders New Breastfeeding Policy

President Obama has asked the Office of Personnel Management to come up with guidance "providing appropriate workplace accommodations for executive branch civilian employees who are nursing mothers."

The order stems from the health care reform law, which provides breastfeeding rights for certain types of employees. But Obama's order goes even further, the Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe reports, requesting guidelines that would cover all federal employees.

Several agencies already have successful breastfeeding programs, according to OPM. The State Department, for example, has a "Mothers Room" equipped with an electric breast pump, refrigerator, sink, bulletin board, sofa, and chair. The National Security Agency, OPM says, has "been a leader in supporting nursing mothers in the workplace since the 1980s."

"As a large employer that must recruit and retain a strong workforce, the federal government is challenged to set the pace in changing the culture of the American workplace to support employees who are devoted to their families," OPM's guidance to agencies on establishing a nursing mother's program states. "This includes nursing mothers who want to continue lactation after they return to the office."