Creating a calm, comfortable space to pump breastmilk at work can be a challenge, but is worth the extra effort to the pumping mom and to her employer.
What is a mother's room? It's simply a locked room an employer provides for employees who are breastfeeding to have a place to express their breastmilk during the work day. Many states now require employers by law to provide a space for mothers to pump their milk.
By encouraging breastfeeding by offering a clean, comfortable mother's room, employers can help mom ease back into the workplace easier and continue breastfeeding longer which has numerous health benefits to both mom and baby. Not only will mom be more comfortable, but she'll actually be able to produce more milk if her surroundings allow her to relax. The better put-together the mother's room is, the faster mom will be able to finish her pumping and get on with her work day.
Here is a checklist of things an employer can use when putting together a mother's room.
Basic Necessities:
- Small table or counter to put breast pump on
- Easy to reach outlet or power strip for plugging in pump
- A lock on the door. This is a must!
- A comfortable chair with arm rests. An office chair with arm rests will work. (A metal folding chair is difficult to pump from)
- Box of tissues and/or paper towels to wipe down pumping equipment (and mom), if there is no sink in the room
- Small waste basket
Things that are Nice to Have:
- A roll of tape for marking bottles
- A permanent marker for dating bottles
- Wall Calendar (for dating bottles)
- Timer for timing pumping sessions. An egg timer or kitchen timer works just fine.
- Small bulletin board or space to hang up baby photos
- A "Please do not disturb" sign for the door
- Disinfectant wipes for wiping down surfaces and keeping area clean
- Bottle of hand sanitizer
- Basket of reading material: mothering magazines, humor books, breastfeeding clothing catalogs, kid and family related magazines
- Foot rest. It can be difficult to pump if mom's not in just the right position. A foot rest (box, phone book, or anything to elevate the feet) is very helpful for this!
The Delux Mother's Room:
- Uplifting posters and photos
- Small refrigerator for storing pumped milk (and much needed water and snacks).
- Sink for cleaning pumping equipment