Interior of a standing lactation pod
Mamava
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Interior of a standing lactation pod
Mamava
When Johnathan Fowler had his first child in 2014, it was the first time he realized how difficult it can be for new parents to breastfeed.
“I was completely uneducated,” Fowler said Morning edition’s Michel Martin.
Fowler remembers his wife breastfeeding in her office when she returned to work after having their first child. Sometimes she would use the bathroom to get some privacy. That’s when Fowler decided that his car dealership with locations in Oklahoma and Colorado, would offer employees a different experience.
“I think the personal has become the passionate for me,” Fowler said.
Fowler installed eight designated breastfeeding spaces in 2021 for its employees and customers to use — two years ahead of a new law that would make designated breastfeeding stations available across American workplaces.
The PUMP Act, which came into effect on April 28, expands protections for people who have chosen to breastfeed. The bipartisan law passed December as part of the omnibus bill. Previously, the Breastfeeding Break Act of 2010 required businesses to provide a designated area and break times for hourly workers to breastfeed. The new law extends these protections to salaried workers, such as nurses and teachers. It also allows workers to sue their employers if they do not respect this rule.
The Center for American Progress estimates that this act will expand breastfeeding protections for an additional nine million women in the United States.
A Fowler Automotive employee standing next to one of the eight lactation pods that Jonathan Fowler bought.
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A Fowler Automotive employee standing next to one of the eight lactation pods that Jonathan Fowler bought.
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“This normalizes that women and women’s bodies belong in all industries, and are worthy of respect,” said Liz Morris, deputy director at the Work Life Law Center. She helped draft the model legislation on which the PUMP Act is based.
The United States has no national policy requiring paid parental leave. Through the Family and Medical Leave Act, most parents are eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid leave. But since many cannot afford to go that long without income, some parents return to work while still breastfeeding.
About 83% of parents start breastfeeding their children after birth, according to 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. By the time children are three months old, 69% are breastfeeding, and dropped to 56% in six months.
Morris said parents are often forced to make tough choices: follow their health care provider’s recommendations to give their baby human milk, or continue to work and earn an income.
“This is an impossible and inhumane choice that no person should have to make,” she said.
Sacha Mayer, CEO of Mamava, which creates independent breastfeeding pods for businesses and public spaces, said that having a designated area prevents women from pumping in unsanitary areas, as they had to when she was a young mother.
“The lack was often in a restroom, Mayer told NPR. “And that was essentially making food for a human being in a place that is being used for the opposite.”
Mayer said these designated areas can help new parents returning to work feel their workplace understands their needs.
“When you’re breastfeeding, it’s like extra work,” Mayer said. “By having a space your employer is communicating that they support you that this part of your life is important.”
Outside of Mamava Pod
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Outside of Mamava Pod
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Businesses are not required by the PUMP Act to purchase a lactation pod. They just have to designate an area for breastfeeding, which means an empty office or supply closet can be repurposed as a nursing area. There are no size or equipment requirements for the room.
For Fowler, a dedicated lactation room was what he wanted for his staff but it came at a higher cost. These pods have surfaces made of non-toxic materials, so breast milk cannot be contaminated, benches and charging stations can cost anywhere between $10,000-25,000. Fowler paid for the eight lactation pods for his businesses without federal subsidies or support. The PUMP Act does not offer grants or tax write-offs for the costs of establishing a designated nursing area.
“I think it’s important that the government is trying to incentivize small businesses, local property that maybe can’t afford these kinds of things, and try to help them be able to provide these opportunities,” Fowler said.
Amra Pasic edited the audio version of this story. Erika Aguilar edited the digital version.
