These Designer Moms Conceptualized a Pumping Room

These Designer Moms Conceptualized a Pumping Room Evermora companies are beginning to realize just how much a private space for a woman to pump after giving birth can helpretain female workers and, because breastfed babiesget sick less, lactation rooms can also mean fewer missed days of work for parents.The Affordable Care Act actually requires that most employers provide a private space for new mothers to pump milk beyond a bathroom stall, but in the years since the law came into effect, not all companies are totally abiding. Some aredesignating closets, shower stalls and single-stall bathrooms as lactation rooms, if anything at all. And even those companies that are indeed designing lactation rooms need mora guidance on what exactly that should entail.Many of the female designers at architecture firm Perkins+Will havehad to educate their clients on every aspect of the pumping experience. But, now,as part ofCo.DesignsProvocation series, three employees (and moms) at the architectur e firmPerkins+Will interior project designerAlyssa Carata,research knowledge manager Christine Dansereau, andsenior interior project designer Lara Leskaj were given the chance to design the lactation room of their dreams.I think a lot of the time the people were speaking to have never needed a room, Carata said, referencing higher-level executives whooften dictate what amenities an office has. They might understand that having the room is a retention aid it helps retain a female workforce but they may not know the nuances of what goes into the room and why its important.So what should go into the room? Their perfect place to pump includes two private rooms with a small anteroom that has a sink and microwave for cleaning or sterilizing pump parts, a fridge to keep the milk as well as snacks and water, and seating (actually next toan outlet to plug ina pump) forthe times when moms need to wait for a room to vacate. The rooms also have hooks to hang their shirts, full-length mirrors and adjustable furniture that could be laid into lounging positions, which some mothers need to pump, or kept upright at a working-position for those who want to answer emails while pumping.The idea wouldessentially provide a middle ground between private rooms, which dont allow for any sense of community, and lactation rooms, which aremeant for multiple women to use at once. Many women (including all three designers) find thelatter uncomfortable.You might be fine with a peer or friend or stranger, but pumping next to your boss which is going to be more of a reality as people from mid-20s to early 40s are having babies its not for everyone,said Dansereau, who returned to work in December 2016 after having her baby and was one of six new moms who needed to pump and had to wait for one another to finish.The newlymocked up roomsare both comfortable and practical, as opposed to the many that are just fine or better than going to a bathroom or finding a random spot, Carata said. The v ision isnt anything fancy or expensive, either the pumping rooms would be a bitsmaller so that, in total, the idea would only require about 25 to 50 square feet of extra space.And that extra space for a proper lactation rooms would prove to be a smart investment for companies looking to retain female talent.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solotravel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.