A lactation room (or lactorium) is a private space where a
nursing mother can
breastfeed. They may include
breast pump A breast pump is a mechanical device that Lactation, lactating women use to milking, extract milk from their breasts. They may be manual devices powered by hand or foot movements or automatic devices powered by electricity.
Breast pumps come in sev ...
s. The development is mostly confined to the United States, which is unique among developed countries in providing minimal
maternity leave.
Purpose and description
Lactation rooms provide breastfeeding mothers with a private space to pump or nurse. While lactation spaces existed prior to the
2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the amende
Section 4207 of the Fair Labor Standards Actrequires employers with 50 employees or more to provide a private space for nursing mothers that's not a bathroom.
Generally, a lactation room includes a
refrigerator
A refrigerator, commonly shortened to fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermal insulation, thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to ...
, sink, cleaning supplies, table, and comfortable chair. The ability to pump throughout the day allows mothers to keep up their milk supply and enables them to save and take home the nutrient-rich milk they have pumped.
Popularity
Lactation rooms have become widely popular in the
US business setting. The reason for this development is that
mothers are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. labor force. Approximately 70% of employed mothers with children younger than 3 years work full time. One-third of these mothers return to work within 3 months after giving birth and two-thirds return within 6 months. Working outside the home is related to a shorter duration of breastfeeding, and intentions to work full-time are significantly associated with lower rates of breastfeeding initiation and shorter duration.
Benefits
In addition, breastfeeding benefits employers as breastfeeding results in decreased health claims, increased productivity, and fewer days missed from work to care for sick children.
One example of the benefits provided to businesses and employees by establishing a corporate lactation program is that of
CIGNA, a US employee benefits company. In 1995, CIGNA established the “Working Well Moms” program, which provided lactation education program and lactation rooms. In 2000, CIGNA and the
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
conducted a study of 343 breastfeeding women who were taking part in CIGNA’s program. The study revealed a savings of $240,000 annually in health care expenses for breastfeeding mothers and their children, and a savings of $60,000 annually through reduced absenteeism among breastfeeding mothers at CIGNA.
In addition, the study found that "breastfeeding duration for women enrolled in the Working Well Moms program is 72.5% at six months compared to a 21.1 percent national average of employed new mothers."
Resources
A variety of resources exist for breastfeeding mother and employers on how to establish and promote a lactation room or lactation support program. The following are currently available:
American Institute of Architects' ''Lactation Room Design''
* ttp://www.healthypeople.gov/ US Dept. of Health and Human Services’ ''Healthy People 2010''
In addition, the US Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau is currently developing a toolkit to promote breastfeeding in the workplace called “The Business Case for Breastfeeding”.
Notes
*
{{Commons cat, Lactation rooms
See also
* Break room
* Breastmilk storage and handling
Breastfeeding
Rooms
Women-only spaces