What Every Good Breastfeeding Room Should Have
Chatting on Slack the other day about this pumping hack , a couple of my colleagues talked about what to do and what not to create an adequate feeding room in the workplace. I decided to ask the experts (the Offspring Facebook group) what they think should be included in the private rollout space, and these people have never been in a rush to answer a question so quickly. Without saying a word, they said that a good pumping station is a human right.
If the workplace pumping in your future, here is a list of what is good, and the better-employer will provide for you. If they do not provide a separate breastfeeding room complete with the items on this list, feel free to forward this part to draw their attention to the fact that no, pumping out the toilet stall is not enough ( by law ) and, yes, it should. be a priority.
What a good employer will give
- Comfortable chair
- Room with a lockable door
- And work points (bonus points if located next to a table or other flat surface).
What a GREAT employer can provide
- All of the above plus:
- A separate refrigerator dedicated exclusively to breast milk and stock storage (and actually cold enough to store milk safely)
- Sink (hero status for employers who also have a dryer)
- Shelf where multiple moms can store supplies
- A table or table where you can work while pumping
- Cleaning products including, but not limited to, disinfectant wipes, dish soap, and paper towels; the trash can is also a nice touch
- Water cooler
- Heater (because, according to one parent, “pumping into a cold room sucks”)
- Hospital pumps
- Mirror to check your appearance before returning to the team
- Notice board where everyone can post photos of their cute babies.
- And some sort of room reservation system to guess.
What can you take with you
- Cooler bag
- A bag with supplies and storage bags.
- Cardigan or blazer, especially if there is no heater.
- Your mobile phone (with a relaxing playlist or white noise app)
- Magazines or book; the easier and more pointless the better
- And an extra shirt in case of a spill (to hide on the table until you need it).