Women who Express Milk at work interview form

	Form Approved OMB No. 0990- Exp. Date XX/XX/20XX
BREASTFEEDING EMPLOYEES
Interview Guide
Participant ID:
Date of interview:
Interviewer:
WARM-UP: Hi, this is (interviewer name) with LTG Associates. May I please speak with (participant name)?
Hi (participant name). Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed today. Is now still a good time to do our interview? It will take around 45-60 minutes (If yes: Great. Let’s get started! If no: Can we reschedule for another time?)
As my colleagues and I described in our earlier communication, I am part of a team that the Office on Women’s Health has asked to help it better understand the barriers and facilitators to workplace breastfeeding support that may be encountered by both nursing mothers and their employers. The results of this interview will help us better understand how OWH can help employers support nursing mothers who need to breastfeed or express milk while at work. You were asked to participate in this interview because you are mother who has experienced workplace breastfeeding or expressing accommodations. Before we get started, I'd love to hear more about your baby. Can you please tell me a little about her/him?
1. Please tell me a little about your most recent breastfeeding experience?
a. How did you decide to continue breastfeeding after you returned to work?
2. How supportive would you say your workplace environment is for breastfeeding moms?
a.   Can you tell me about how important workplace support was in helping you reach your breastfeeding goals?
3. What were you told about breastfeeding at your workplace?
a. How and when did you learn about the kinds of available support?
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-0379. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggetions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington D.C. 20201, Attention: PRA Report Clearnance officer.
b. Who gave you the information?
c. Did you approach your supervisor about your needs?
i. If yes, when did that conversation occur - before or after giving birth? Returning to work?
d. How comfortable were you in talking with your supervisor about your needs?
i. How would you characterize your supervisor's reaction to the conversation?
e. Do you know what policies your company has regarding supporting breastfeeding employees?
i. If yes, can you describe them?
ii.  How do employees learn about the policies? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Advertised in the workplace? ▪ Provided directly to female employees? ▪ Given out when someone is obviously pregnant? ▪ Other?
4. What kinds of breastfeeding support did your employer provide for you when you were breastfeeding?
a. Did you express milk at work? If yes, what kind of space did your company provide? If your employer provided more than one space, please tell me about each of them. (Prompt if needed)
b. Where was the first space you wanted to describe?
i. Is the space a simple flexible area?
1. If yes, what kind of space? (Choose one)
ii. How comfortable did you feel expressing milk in this space? (If not comfortable, why? If comfortable, what make it comfortable?)
1. What would have made it more comfortable?
iii. How was the space made private? (Prompt if needed) ▪ From other women in the room? ▪ From co-workers and the public?
iv. How far was the space from your work space? (How long did it take you to get to and from the space?)
v. How was the space furnished? (Check all that apply)
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vi. What equipment did you use to express milk at work?
1. If the company provided a breast pump that more than one woman could use, did they provide the tubing that attaches to the pump? If not, how did you get the tubing?
2. If the company did not provide a pump how did you get access to a pump? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Had a pump already ▪ Loaned a pump by a friend or relative ▪ WIC or insurance provided ▪ Other
3. If you had to buy a pump, how was it paid for? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Paid for it yourself ▪ Insurance ▪ WIC ▪ Other
4. If you needed to work with the insurance company or WIC, in what ways did your employer help you with the application process?
vii. How effective was the breast pump you used in expressing milk and keeping up your milk supply?
viii. If you expressed milk, where did you store your milk while you were at work? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Personal cooler ▪ Employee refrigerator ▪ A refrigerator especially for breastfeeding mothers ▪ Other
c.      How did you work out the breaks you needed to express milk?
i. Was it enough time?
ii. Did you feel supported in taking the time that you needed?
1. If yes, what made you feel supported?
2. If no, what make you feel not supported?
d.      When you breastfed or expressed milk, how did you fit it in your work day? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Did you need to take part of your regular breaks or lunch to cover the time? ▪ Were special breastfeeding breaks given? ▪ Were breaks given whenever you needed them?
e.      What kind of support did you receive from coworkers when you were breastfeeding? Other women? Men?
f.      Do you know if your company allows women to bring their babies to work when breastfeeding?
i.      Did you want to bring your baby to work?
1. If yes, were you allowed to bring your baby to work with you?
2. If yes, how did that happen? (Prompt if needed) ▪ As part of a formal "babies at work" program? ▪ Was there a caregiver who brought the baby to you for feedings? ▪ Other?
ii. How did that work for you?
g. Were you aware of other nursing moms at your workplace?
i.      If yes were there opportunities to communicate or interact with them? Tell me about that. (Prompt if needed) ▪ An electronic or in-person support network ▪ Support within the lactation room for multiple users ▪ Other
h.      To your best knowledge, did your company educate your supervisor on workplace breastfeeding support?
i.      Do you know if education was provided for other employees on breastfeeding policies?
ii.      Were you aware of any other support that your employer offered when you were breastfeeding? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Company-wide policies ▪ Community referrals ▪ Others
5.      Did you provide any feedback to your supervisor or employer about the breastfeeding support?
a. If yes, how was feedback gathered? (Prompt if needed)
i. Did you participate in any kind of survey?
ii. Did you talk with your supervisor?
iii. Was there a feedback form made available to you?
iv. Other
b. Do you know how that feedback was used? If yes, please describe.
6. Over how many weeks or months did you breastfeed your most recent child?
a.      Was this period of time what you had planned?
b.      If not, why was it different than your plan?
c. Do you have other children that you breastfed
d.      If yes, how long do you remember breastfeeding each of them?
i. Child 1 current age
1. How long breastfed
i. Child 2 current age
1. How long breastfed
iii. Child 3 current age
1. How long breastfed
iv. Child 4 current age
1. How long breastfed
7.      When you returned to work, who did you turn to for support regarding breastfeeding? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Your supervisor ▪ Human Resources staff ▪ Supportive coworkers ▪ Family or friends ▪ Social media ▪ A local WIC clinic ▪ Your local hospital ▪ A private practice lactation consultant ▪ Physician ▪ A local mother's group ▪ La Leche League ▪ Others
a. Are there any people at your workplace who you would consider breastfeeding “supporters?”
i.      If yes, who are they? (Please only tell us what their role is, for example Work and Life coordinator or Employee Assistance coordinator, rather than their actual name.)
b. Did you ever have need of a lactation expert?
i. If yes, did you receive help to find that person?
1. If yes, from whom?
ii. Did you receive help in paying for the lactation expert's services?
1. If yes, from whom? (Prompt if needed) ▪ Your company ▪ Hospital ▪ WIC ▪ Health plan ▪ Other
8. Are you aware of websites such as http://womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/
a.      Did you use websites to get information about breastfeeding? If yes, what sites?
b.      How did you know what information was available or where to look?
9. Were there any challenges that you ran into at your workplace when you wanted to breastfeed or express? (Prompt if needed)
a.      Not enough lactation areas
b.      Not enough time
c.      Distance from work station
d.      Lack of encouragement or active discouragement from your supervisor or coworkers?
e.      Things that can make breastfeeding or expressing harder such as trouble relaxing or getting the milk to flow?
f.      Declining milk production?
g.      Emotional conflict about negotiating the demands of work and parenting, or associated feelings like guilt or stress?
i.      How were you able to manage these challenges? (If didn’t, skip to h)
ii. Who or what helped you to manage?
h.      What kinds of support didn’t you have that you feel would have helped you?
i.      Let’s talk about your coworkers now.
i.      How do you feel your experience compares to other moms at your workplace who are also breastfeeding?
ii.      What materials or help did your coworkers use or find helpful?
iii.      What challenges or problems have they shared with you, and how did they manage them?
j.      Let’s talk now about friends you know.
i.      How do you feel your experience and the experience of your coworkers at your workplace compares to other women you know who have tried to breastfeed or express milk when they went back to work?
ii.      What materials or help did your friends use to be able to continue breastfeeding after going back to work?
iii.      What challenges have they faced, and how did they manage them?
10. What do you know what employers are legally required to do to support nursing moms at work?
a.      If you were NOT aware of these requirements, what difference do you think knowing about them might have made in you being able to continue breastfeeding after returning to work?
b.      If you WERE aware of these requirements, what difference did knowing about them make to you?
c.      How did you find about them? (Prompt if needed: For example, by using an online search engine? Through friends or social media? Through a health provider or WIC clinic? etc.)
d. Have you visited the website http://womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/ ? If YES, what parts of the website have you found most useful? (Prompt if needed: For example, the industry solutions pages; policy templates; videos; FAQs?)
i.            What parts of the website did you find less useful?
ii. What did you feel was the HARDEST part about expressing milk at work?
iii.            What could be done to make it less challenging for new moms?
iv.            What advice would you give to other nursing moms returning to work?
v.            What do you think could be done to better support breastfeeding moms in your workplace or in other workplaces?
vi.            What advice would you give to an employer like yours who does not currently offer the kind of support that you received?
11.      What would you like to tell the Office of Women’s Health and other breastfeeding advocates about workplace breastfeeding support you feel new moms need?