Lactation Room Assistance, Please :-)

FloridaSnow78

My company is planning on providing lactation rooms in most buildings on our corporate campus.  I've been tasked with providing lactation room requirements.  I've divided my list into "Must Haves" and "Nice to Haves" and I would appreciate your feedback - am I forgetting anything?  Do you disagree with anything?  Thanks in advance for your help!

Must Haves
Privacy (lock) w/ an 'occupied' message
Table/desk
Chair (seat back, armrests,height adjustment)
Well placed electrical outlets
Sink to clean pump parts
Cleaning supplies
Paper towels
Trash can
Refrigerator
Sound dampening

Nice to Haves
Coat rack
Full length mirror
Magazine rack
Lamps
Phone
Computer (for us multitaskers)

Thanks!

madhatter2003

Heck if they are doing that ask for hospital grade pumps as a 'nice to have'. That way everyone could just buy parts and hook up 

And here I thought my room with just a sofa and fridge was jazzy  

eb2277

That is really great about your company!  I used a conference room so I had a table, chair, phone, electrical outlets, trash can, and a door lock.  So Ithink your must haves are pretty good - especially since they are specifically making lactation rooms - a sink and a refridgerator would have been awesome. 

I agree with the pp about the hospital grade pump.  It would have been fabulous not to have to lug the pump back and forth between work and home. 

eb2277

I have heard of lactation rooms (maybe it is an urban legend) with massage chairs in them (like when you get a pedicure) - that would have been heaven! 

luvmagoldn

Are you thinking of the privacy lock like those on airplane bathrooms?  Ours has a sliding sign above the lock and you are issued a key.  The bad part about that is the expense of making keys and keeping up with them.  Just something to think about.

Also, related to the lock issue I'm not sure I would want to leave my milk where anyone could get access to it.  I leave mine in my bag with the freezer pack but not everyone has that issue.

I think your list is great!

flyer23

I would say that the only "Must Haves" are a lock, a table/desk, a chair, and electrical outlets. Everything else is a "Nice to have."

Another "nice to have" would be a clock. My company has clock radios in most of the lactation rooms, which is nice because a) you can keep an eye on the time so you're not late to your next meeting and b) you can listen to music.

Also, my company has two "cubicles" set up in most of the lactation rooms, with a curtain in front of each one. That's nice for allowing two women to pump simultaneously with some degree of privacy.

One last thing... a "nice to have" would be a bulletin board just above the desk so you can put up pictures of your babies and look at them as you pump!

jen5-03

The lactation room at my company has three "stalls" inside one room, plus a little foyer which you walk into first. You have to scan your ID card to get in the room (which removes the cost of providing keys).

The stalls have curtains between them and in front of them, basically strung up on some pipes. Each stall has narrow desk and a chair.

They provide 3 hospital grade pumps and every woman (employee or contractor) who asks for one is given a pump kit with the tubes and flanges to connect to these pumps (about $40 for the kit on amazon).

In the foyer area there is a rocking chair, sink, dish soap, trashcan, paper towels, microwave, and full size refrigerator/freezer. There is a mirror above the sink.

`There is also a little bookcase with some nursing/mothering/parenting related books and magazines (donated by moms), plus women who choose to bring in their own pumps store them here. Women also bring in a plastic shoe box sized box to store their pump parts in and keep that on the shelf.

BennyL

This is excellent!!!

I like your list.

I think cubicles or curtains would be great for privacy.
Comfortable chairs.
Blinds / shades on the windows for privacy
Special key or access card to access the room.

Nice to have
Microwave for sterlizing pump parts.
Lockers / drawers so moms can leave their pumps in the room all day
TV
Reading materials like "The Milk Memos" but I guess women could donate their own books and magazines

cfitz16

Add hand sanitizer as a nice to have.

cfitz16

Nice company!!

Valerie120408

Also nice to have - cord extenders so that you can sit comfortably and not right next to the wall, a portable heater (the ac in our building is very strong so that may not apply to you), a screen so that if anyone happens to walk into the lactation room, they don't see the pumping mom.

robin_e

My company has a room that about 40-50 women use.  The door does not have a lock on it, but it does have a sign outside that says "New Mother's Room".  There are five separate "stalls" and each has a curtain.  Two of the stalls have one kind of hospital grade pump, two have another kind of hospital grade pump, and the fifth has an outlet.  Each stall has a table and a chair.  The room itself has a sink, a refrigerator, paper towels, a coatrack, and bulletin boards.  People bring in magazines, hand sanitizer, etc.  We have to sign up for certain times and there is a sign in/out sheet.