By Khalida Sarwari
Celebrated on March 8 every year, International Women’s Day is usually a good time to pause and take stock of the advancements women have made from the boardroom to the silver screen and myriad industries.
And because a growing proportion of key decision-makers in business, politics and public service are women, cities in turn are finding ways to meet their needs. A “female-friendly city” is one where planners, designers and policy makers consider the perspective of women when making decisions related to healthcare, public transportation, social services and education.
In this vein, the Milpitas Library last fall rolled out a mobile lactation station for nursing mothers. Located in the main hallway just before the children’s area of the library, the 7-foot by 7-foot pod offers mothers a private, safe and clean space to nurse their babies, or pump breast milk, while also keeping their other children within sight.
To date, Milpitas is the only library in the country that offers this amenity, according to Diane Roche, a spokeswoman for the library district. The plan, she said, is to bring the station to other library branches in the district depending upon the availability of space at each site.
“We have 10,000 people visiting our libraries every day, and the Milpitas Library hosts about 1,800 visitors,” she said. “So many of the visitors are families with infants and young children so we wanted to offer a child friendly environment, especially for mothers who may be nursing or pumping. We saw this as a great opportunity to offer something more innovative that would really cater to this part of our community.”
Families have responded positively to the pod, she said. The unit, designed by Vermont-based company Mamava, is equipped with a lock for the door, USB charging station, a couple of benches, a mirror, and a fold-down table that can be used for a pump as well as to hold personal items such as a purse, phone or books. The pod can accommodate a mother and children, her partner and a stroller.
The pod is free and available during regular library hours. Mothers who wish to use the pod can sign up at the circulation desk. Availability is on a first come, first serve basis. Users are not required to be a library card holder, Roche said.
“We absolutely would love to offer this in every one of our libraries,” Roche said.
Link:
Milpitas Library offers a private space for breastfeeding moms
