At Bayer Corp., off the Parkway West in Robinson, mothers who return to work after maternity leave are encouraged to breast-feed longer by using breast pumps in the pleasant surroundings of secure "lactation rooms."

If they use pumps when they are away from their babies, mothers can keep their supply of breast milk sufficient for their children's nourishment. Milk is then refrigerated for the infants to have later.

Diana Kamyk, manager for diversity and work life at Bayer, said there are four lactation rooms across the 16-building campus. She said they are clean, quiet, locked rooms with comfortable chairs and outlets for breast pumps. One women's lounge also has a space set aside, with a partition and a chair.

"We used an already existing space and converted it," Ms. Kamyk said.

The company's efforts recently won notice from the Allegheny County Health Department, which honored it with its annual Breast-feeding Friendly Place Award. Bayer was credited nationally by Working Mother magazine as a Top 10 company for breast-feeding moms in 2006.

Ms. Kamyk said the campus has 546 women among its 1,423 employees. The women-employee network had surveyed women and found they wanted the rooms. So a lactation committee was formed to make the proposal. Company executives supported the plan that would take Bayer beyond the lactation consultants that had been made available by phone for several years.

"The women felt empowered to go forth and request these enhancements," Ms. Kamyk explained.

By this spring, a brochure on the program was ready, available in the medical department for expecting moms and in the human resource department for new employee orientation.

Ms. Kamyk said the brochure reviews what is available when moms return to work, what to wear and what rooms are available. "Floater" lactation rooms can be arranged for different buildings to accommodate women.

"We work with the building department to create a lactation room. We will react positively," Ms. Kamyk said.

As a result, she said, "We know there's a higher productivity. It brings women back to the program faster," after maternity leave. Employees on disability for maternity reasons may be eligible for two weeks of paid pre-maternity leave and six weeks post-delivery leave. There are other parental leave options as well.

Bayer's plans, Ms. Kamyk said, include increasing the number of lactation rooms and implementing a mentoring-mom program.

"This is where a mom with experience breast-feeding is paired with a new mom to share experiences and provide tips," Ms. Kamyk said.

Recognizing the company's efforts is a health issue, said Dr. Bruce Dixon, Allegheny County health director.

"Making places outside the home more breast-feeding friendly encourages women to breast-feed longer. Studies show babies derive greater health benefits when breast-fed for six months or longer, yet only 33 percent of mothers breast-feed for that long."