College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Introduction Breastfeeding-friendly worksites are associated with longer breastfeeding durations, yet currently there is a dearth of research exploring women's experiences of workplace-based wellness programs designed to support continued lactation. Method Using semi-structured interviews with a voluntary sample of participants from one rural New England town (N = 18), we examined women's experiences of returning to work at worksites with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Worksite Health ScoreCard (HSC) “breastfeeding-friendly” designation. Results Five key themes emerged from participants' narratives; three policy and workplace climate-related themes are described. Discussion Collectively, findings indicate areas where HSC lactation-support questions might be modified to more precisely identify the psychosocial, structural, and sociocultural needs of breastfeeding employees.