Nevada Lawmaker Pushes to Ease Breastfeeding Struggles for Working Moms
When Patricia Orellana returned to her job as a graduate assistant at UNLV just six weeks after a cesarean birth, she didn’t anticipate that basic breastfeeding would become an uphill battle. With no lactation room, no manual sink, and only 30-minute breaks she had to make up later, Orellana was left pumping in public restrooms and pleading for basic accommodations.
Her complaints went nowhere. Eventually, her supervisor revoked her hybrid work schedule and moved her to a space without an outlet for her mini fridge, a makeshift solution she had to fund herself to store breast milk. Feeling harassed, stressed, and unsupported, Orellana quit. She stopped breastfeeding after nine months, far sooner than she had hoped.
“I wish I could have gone longer,” she said. “But the circumstances aren’t where I have that kind of space to do that.”
Her story is part of the inspiration behind Assembly Bill 266, sponsored by Assm. Cecelia González (D-Las Vegas), who became a first-time mom last year. The bill would:
- Prohibit public places from denying breastfeeding access.
- Allow mothers to file civil complaints with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission.
- Require a public education campaign on breastfeeding benefits and Medicaid coverage.
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Expand online resources for lactation support.
Despite federal protections, many nursing mothers still face workplace discrimination, a lack of education, and stigma. González recalls her own tears in a hospital bed, being pressured to use formula. “There’s so many components to breastfeeding that people think is just natural, ‘you throw your baby on your chest and bam.’”
Orellana, now a research assistant studying how to support grad student parents, will lose her position due to lack of funding. Still, she remains focused, she’s on track to graduate in December with two master’s degrees.
“I broke down in tears,” she said, remembering the one call she got that validated her experience. “I just wanted to breastfeed and work.”
