After taking five months off after the birth of her first child, Rebecca McClain worried about whether she would be able to return to work and continue breast-feeding her daughter.

"I had misgivings that it might interfere with my job, or I might not be able to continue it for as long as I wanted," says Ms. McClain, a financial analyst for Cigna Corp. in Philadelphia.

That was 10 months ago. Today, three months after she had planned to stop breast-feeding, she is still visiting a lactation room at Cigna every day where there are two rocking chairs and curtains mothers can use for privacy. She carries a cooler bag so she doesn't have to worry about using a public refrigerator.

Ms. McClain, 34 years old, cites the support of the company and her manager for making the program work for her. "It's nice to have a clean, discreet place to go to," she says.

Breast-feeding children is one of the biggest challenges for mothers who want to return to work fairly soon after giving birth. Next week, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7, is World Breastfeeding Week, sponsored by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, which hopes to encourage more women to breast-feed their babies, while raising awareness about the challenges facing women who wish to do so. Roughly 70% of mothers begin breast-feeding in the hospital, but the number drops to 33% after six months, according to La Leche League International, a nonprofit breast-feeding education and support group based in Schaumburg, Ill.

While the percentage of women breast-feeding has been on the rise since the 1970s, when it reached a nadir, it falls short of national goals set by the Department of Health and Human Services. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that, when possible, infants receive only breast milk for six months. Breast-feeding advocates say the problems encountered by new mothers who return to work contribute significantly to the low numbers of women who breast-feed.

"One of the major factors that you aren't getting mothers to breast-feed for six months is that women are working," says Rona Cohen, president of MCH Services Inc., Los Angeles, which provides corporate lactation programs.

Mothers who return to work can often have trouble maintaining a breast-feeding schedule, depending on the job. A line worker in a factory will typically have a much harder time scheduling breaks than a lawyer will, for example. Another big hurdle for many women can be finding a quiet place, other than a bathroom or a utility closet, to pump breast milk, which typically takes 10 to 20 minutes.

Other problems can include a lack of support from a disapproving supervisor, or discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Even when reactions aren't so overt, women may find the atmosphere in an office inhospitable to breast-feeding and are reluctant to discuss their desire for even minor accommodations.

"People find it uncomfortable that one is talking about breasts in a corporate setting," Ms. Cohen says.

In recent years, more companies have started corporate lactation programs. Like others, Cigna's program includes continuing support from a lactation consultant and use of a lactation room. At Cigna women also receive a free book and a kit, which includes a cooler bag. Male employees can participate in the program through discussions with a lactation consultant and by purchasing discounted products for their wives. Cigna says that between 1,000 and 1,200 of its employees give birth per year, and about 600 of those enroll in its program, Working Well Moms, created in 1995.

Web sites, such as Breastfeeding.com and Lalecheleague.org, offer resources for breast-feeding women. In San Francisco, DayOne LLC provides support for families, such as workshops and support groups, including some for mothers who want to breast-feed while working. "There's just not the support for a first-time mom and parent that there used to be," says Andrew Zenoff, founder and CEO of the company and inventor of a breast-feeding pillow called My Brest Friend. He says he plans to open similar centers around the country.

Women or men who want to win support for a corporate lactation program should arm themselves with as much information as possible when approaching a manager. Ms. Cohen recommends explaining the benefits in business terms and finding colleagues who would also benefit from a program. You can show how it will benefit the company by citing studies that show that breast-fed babies are often healthier and require mothers to miss fewer workdays to care for them.

Over the past decade, seven states have passed legislation protecting the rights of mothers to breast-feed in public or in the workplace. Several states, including California, Connecticut and Tennessee, require employers to make reasonable efforts to allow mothers to pump milk during breaks and to provide a room where they can do so.

Some breast-feeding experts, including Kathleen Huggins, author of "The Nursing Mother's Companion," say that the passage of similar laws will make it easier for women who want to breast-feed and work.

"Things are changing, but they're changing slowly," says Ms. Huggins. "On the other hand, I'm really amazed how many women are going back to work with a breast pump."