Nursing moms would be able to breast-feed their infants in public places and at the workplace under a bill before lawmakers on the Senate Human Services Committee.

Medical professionals and mothers told the committee on Wednesday that the legislation, sponsored by Sen. Richard Marcellais, D-Belcourt, would promote breast-feeding among North Dakota moms. The measure would prohibit employers from penalizing employees who decide to breast-feed while at work.

Dr. Joan Connell, a pediatrician and breast-feeding mother, said many North Dakota moms stop breast-feeding too early because they think they will be barred from pumping milk while at work or in public.

She said breast-feeding mothers are hardly exhibitionists, but rather doing what they should to raise a healthy child.

"It is so clear and obvious that mothers need to feed their babies on demand, wherever they may be, for the well-being of the baby," Connell said.

The bill also would give employers the option to advertise "infant friendly" designations if they decide to provide a private area for breast-feeding and flexible work schedules for nursing, among other standards.

State Labor Commissioner Lisa Fair told the committee that the bill could strain her department's resources in light of more potential discrimination claims from mothers who decide to breast-feed at work. Fair testified in a neutral position on the bill.

Jessica Gilbertson, a North Dakota mother, told lawmakers that her employer allowed her to pump breast milk at work while she was nursing her son. She said she did it behind a screen while checking e-mails and answering phone calls at her desk.

But that wasn't always the case when Gilbertson was in public. She said she was often pressured into the privacy of bathrooms in restaurants to feed her baby.

"The perception is that breast-feeding is fine, you just don't do it in public," she said.

In 2008, 68 percent of North Dakota mothers initiated breastfeeding, but only 37 percent of them were still nursing six months later, said Kim Hinnenkamp, the breast-feeding coordinator for the state Department of Health.

"Returning to work or school is often the reason that many mothers stop breast-feeding," Hinnenkamp said.

She said 46 other states, including South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota, have laws about breast-feeding in public.

No one opposed the bill in Wednesday's hearing. After the committee takes action on the bill, it will move on to a full vote of the Senate. The bill is SB2344.

"It is common sense, it seems to me, as long as it's done discreetly," said Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck.

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@;bismarcktribune.com.)