Add this to the list of possible reasons as to why women leave law practice: Breast-feeding.

Yup, you heard correctly. I admit I did not take this as a serious factor at first, but it seems women who breast-feed still face challenges and prejudices—so much so that they might be abandoning ship.

According to a recent survey by Aeroflow (a breast pump provider—what else?), 49 percent of the more than 770 women surveyed had concerns that breast-feeding at work could impact their career growth. Moreover, 47 percent of the breast-feeding working moms also said the need to pump has spurred them to consider a job or career change.

Wait, are women actually quitting their jobs to breast-feed in peace? Well, the correlation isn't quite that clear because “women are more likely to quit breastfeeding than quit their jobs entirely,” according to Bloomberg, which reported on the survey. That said, some women are bailing for reasons related to motherhood—and that contributes to the gender pay gap.

In fact, one study finds a “breastfeeding penalty” at play. “Women who breastfed for at least six months suffered more severe and prolonged earnings losses than mothers who breastfed for less time or not at all,” Bloomberg reported. And considering “that only about 40 percent of women have access to a private space, other than a bathroom, to pump,” there are plenty of employers who are not supportive of breast-feeding moms at all.

But is this relevant in the world of Big Law, which has made a big deal of providing lawyer-moms with fancy lactation rooms and overnight shipment of breast milk, not to mention generous parental leaves?

Most firms seem to have the right physical facilities and policies, but some aspects of the profession are not so accommodating.

Courthouses, for instance, pose problems because they often lack appropriate setups, reports Law.com's Angela Morris. ”Most of these courthouses were built at times it was just white males going to court,” Sarretta McDonough, president of the National Association of Women Lawyers, tells Law.com. “We've focused so much on the private sector—we haven't focused enough on public facilities.”

The bigger problem, arguably, is that a lawyer's schedule is unrelenting and difficult for nursing moms. As they well know, breast pumping, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, requires a strict schedule that doesn't match the typical workday routine.

Moreover, there's also simple prejudice against breast-feeding moms. One Virginia-based lawyer with three kids told Bloomberg that her former employer accused her of lagged productivity when she started breast pumping, then laid her off.

But are these concerns resonating with female lawyers, even ones who've breast-fed their kids?

All the griping about having to choose between being a good mom who breast-feeds and a hardworking lawyer is “ridiculous,” says an Am Law 100 firm female partner with three kids, all of whom she's breast-fed. Women, she says, should “quit whining” and “do what you feel you need to do to deal with the eternal work-life struggle.”

This lawyer says that a woman with a new child has “an obligation to let the employer know she is the same devoted worker pre- and post-baby.” After having her kids, this lawyer actually made it clear that she was more than willing to travel. ”I was in it to win it,” she explains. “If someone said to me they wouldn't fly cross-country for a meeting because 'I have a baby,' I would question that person's commitment to their career, male or female.”

Her advice “is to stay present in your job while pumping as much as possible.” She adds, “Own it. I took conference calls while pumping and when someone said 'what's that noise?' I responded 'my breast pump.'”

So there you have it. What do you think? Is breast-feeding hurting your career?

Contact Vivia Chen at [email protected]. On Twitter: @lawcareerist.