Double breast pump. Credit: releon8211, Shutterstock.
World Breast Pumping Day is observed every year on January 27. It was created to recognise breast pumping as an essential – and often invisible – part of breastfeeding. The day aims to normalise milk expression, particularly for parents returning to work, and to acknowledge the physical, emotional, and time-intensive labour involved.
Breastfeeding is a public health priority
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. It recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for up to two years or beyond. WHO data link breastfeeding to lower rates of infectious disease in infants and reduced risks of breast and ovarian cancer for mothers.
According to UNICEF, more than 700 million children worldwide have been breastfed, yet the labour required remains largely unrecognised. UNICEF notes that breastfeeding contributes directly to improved national health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs, while remaining absent from standard economic measurements such as GDP.
Unpaid breastfeeding work
Research by Julie P Smith, Professor of Economics at the Australian National University, demonstrates that breastfeeding represents a substantial form of unpaid labour that is systematically excluded from national economic accounts. In her peer-reviewed paper ‘Lost milk? Counting the economic value of breast milk in gross domestic product’, published in the Journal of Human Lactation, Smith shows that when breast milk production is valued using standard replacement-cost methods, its contribution rivals that of major agricultural commodities. Her analysis concludes that in high-income countries, the annual economic value of breastfeeding per child runs into several thousands of euros, once the time, skill involved and associated healthcare savings are accounted for – highlighting a major blind spot in how economies measure productive work.
Breast milk donation saves lives
Human milk banks endorsed by the European Milk Bank Association report that donated breast milk is vital for premature and medically vulnerable infants. Clinical evidence cited by the association shows that donor milk significantly reduces the risk of necrotising enterocolitis, a life-threatening intestinal condition in preterm babies.
One of the most documented cases of milk donation involves Elisabeth Anderson-Sierra, an American mother diagnosed with hyperlactation syndrome – oversupply. According to Guinness World Records, she donated 1,599.68 litres (56,301.20 UK fl oz) to a milk bank between February 20, 2015, and June 20, 2018 – equivalent to 2,253 Venti lattes at Starbucks.
Lactation specialists note that while oversupply can cause pain and medical complications, regulated donation can transform a personal challenge into life-saving support.
Pumping enables breastfeeding after returning to work
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), workplace support is essential to continued breastfeeding after maternity leave. ILO’s Maternity Protection Convention No. 183 shows that such accommodations are also associated with higher rates of women remaining in employment while maintaining recommended breastfeeding practices.
Spain’s legalities on breastfeeding and pumping at work
In Spain, breastfeeding and pumping are not discretionary benefits but protected labour rights. According to the Spanish Ministry of Labour, Article 37.4 of the Workers’ Statute grants employed parents one hour of paid lactation leave per working day until a child reaches nine months of age.
This hour may be taken as a single break, split into two 30-minute breaks, or – if collective agreements allow – accumulated into full paid days off. Crucially, the law applies equally to direct breastfeeding and milk expression, meaning pumping is explicitly covered.
Lactation leave
The Government of Spain confirms that lactation leave (permiso de lactancia) is an individual right of either parent, not exclusively the mother.
Guidance from the Spanish Labour Inspectorate makes clear that employers cannot reduce pay, restrict promotion, or penalise workers for taking lactation leave. Spanish courts have ruled that denying pumping breaks constitutes sex-based discrimination.
To all those breastfeeding around the world – well done and thank you!
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