August is #BreastfeedingAwareness Month! Ten years ago, I was the first pregnant member of the @VaHouse. During the 2011 session, I breastfed Jack. It was quite an adjustment—for me and the House—balancing nursing/pumping with the demands of Session. #BreastfeedingAwareness 1/

In 2015, due to her early arrival by emergency C-section, Samantha spent 6 months in the NICU and couldn’t nurse. But I was able to pump in order to breastfeed her, first through a feeding tube then by bottle. 2/

When I returned to work, I was determined to continue breastfeeding. The challenges of work and session often had me up at 3 am to pump meals for the day. Sometimes I’d pump at work and run the bottle to daycare for afternoon feedings. 3/

During the 2011 and 2016 General Assembly Sessions I would pump between presenting bills, constituent meetings, and voting on the House floor. My office became a hub for many working breastfeeding mothers looking for a safe place to pump and store milk. 4/

My breastfeeding experiences showed me the importance of having personal and institutional support for breastfeeding mothers. In 2011, there were some legal protections, but not enough. 5/

That’s why in 2014 I successfully carried legislation to require public schools to adopt lactation policies to provide breaks and non-bathroom locations for nursing employees and students to pump and a safe place to store milk. 6/

In 2015, I chief co-patroned legislation with @DaveAlbo and then-Senator @JenniferWexton to establish a mother’s right to breastfeed in any public place she is lawfully present. 7/

Last year I sponsored legislation establishing August as Virginia Breastfeeding Awareness Month. https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+ful+SJ298ER+PDFs 8/

This year, @JCarrollFoy and I passed the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act, which requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers. 9/

We need to spread awareness of these laws supporting breastfeeding mothers, because too often protecting rights can be just as difficult as securing them. 10/ #BreastfeedingAwareness

Seeing @KathyKLTran nurse on the @VaHouse floor in 2018 was such an inspiration because I wasn’t able to do that in 2011. I always left the floor to nurse between votes. We’ve come a long way! https://twitter.com/KathyKLTran/status/1026567507291729920?s=20 https://twitter.com/kathykltran/status/1026567507291729920