A workplace design comprises a range of facilities as employers try to retain and attract employees. On this list is a mother’s bedroom (or a nursing space or an area for lactation). It is a space where breastfeeding mothers can relax and be able to easily and conveniently express their breastmilk throughout the course of their time working. Since I started my career as an architect, I’ve incorporated a mother’s bedroom into many projects. Before becoming a mother, I had never thought about how crucial the mother’s bedroom is to an office.
The number of women with children is rapidly increasing their share of the workforce in today’s times.
The room of the mother in the making
By 2022, about 80 percent of all new mothers begin breastfeeding their infants from birth. Around five-quarters of moms breastfeed for at the very least one year, and about six out of 10 mothers are employed.
In 2010 beginning in the year 2010, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to “provide an adequate amount of time to allow employees to pump breast milk for their child during the year after the baby’s birth whenever the employee is in requirement to express the milk. Employees are legally entitled to a designated area to pump during work hours apart from a bathroom that is shielded from view and protected from interference from colleagues and other employees.”
Photo courtesy Design Collaborative
Beyond the statistics and the rules… in the end, it’s the soul of an office that gives mothers space to provide support and the opportunity to take care of their family without jeopardizing their dignity or capability to do their job.
Ideally, it’s an area that is a part of the house which goes above and over and above what is required by the FLSA law and is able to consider the requirements of the people who make use of the space. A mother who is pumping needs the privacy of a private space and a quiet one, and it’s important to put this room in a place that is easily accessible, and not in the most frequented areas.
In the end, a mom’s room is the most effective when it’s backed by workplace policies and procedures.
It is beneficial to be able to set up timeslots for a mom’s space (similar to the use of technology to plan the conference room), particularly when there are several nursing mothers in a particular workplace. Because a single mother will require this space at least twice every day for between 15 and 30 minutes at a stretch, Larger workplaces should think about having more than one mother’s room, or perhaps larger mothers’ suites that have separate seats. The workplace should prioritize rooms for moms who pump. However, they can make use of the space for other purposes of wellness even when not in use (for example, for pregnant moms who are suffering from nausea, for someone who suffers from migraines and needs the darkness of a room to change clothes, or for anyone who needs a moment to relax).
Photo courtesy Design Collaborative
The features of a mother’s bedroom
There are plenty of methods employers can offer a relaxing space for mothers who are nursing. Here is a list of suggestions to have in the mother’s room:
- A comfortable chair
- At least one outlet for convenience outlets near the chair to charge pumps that must be connected when in use, and another placed near a rack for pumps that have to be charged.
- A mini fridge to keep breastmilk from the fridge that is shared with others.
- A sink that has drain covers for parts for the washing pump.
- A counter or shelf space for placing out supplies and storage space. parts of pumps to dry
- A table or laptop stand for moms who wish to take their laptop with them and work while pumping
- A mirror
- Dimmable light
- A lock that is secure on the door, with an indicator for occupancy
- A hook for clothing
I am extremely fortunate and blessed to have an office environment that encourages and encourages families as well as parents as well as moms who have to pump during work. Our mom’s room lets me give my baby food and still be productive. As an architect, I would like to contribute to providing the support and the environment needed by our customers and the end-users for our design-related projects.
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