Create a Nursing Mothers' Room
Back to PathwaysDescription
Her Situation:
Nursing moms have a lot to navigate. Mothers typically need to nurse or pump every three hours and are often on a strict schedule that may overlap with church service times or work schedules if she is a working mom. If they wait too long to nurse or pump, it can cause pain, discomfort, and potentially lead to clogged ducts and a mastitis infection. Attending church with these parameters can be tough. Some women may feel comfortable nursing their babies in the pews during the service, but some women prefer to pump or nurse in private.
A space where mothers can meet their needs makes attending church a more welcoming, hospitable experience. It allows more families to attend church — and to stay at church.
Overview
Her Community:
Creating a nursing mothers' room in your church or community center is an important way to help moms know they are welcome and supported. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Using space you already have, you can create a simple room for mothers to nurse or pump that will be greatly appreciated by your congregation. Renovating an empty room or office space will allow moms to feel comfortable coming to church knowing they have space that accommodates their needs. If you already have a cry room for parents of young children to utilize during the service, consider adding signage that advertises the space is for nursing mothers as well.
While this model is specifically designed for churches, it doesn’t stop there. Nursing mothers’ rooms are needed in schools, universities, public spaces and workplaces everywhere. This checklist can be used to create or modify spaces in any building where pregnant and parenting women are working, learning, or congregating.
A nursing mothers’ room developed at Mississippi State University allowed parenting students and professors a reservable space to nurse or pump between classes. The room was accessible through the student ID keycard system that was already being utilized across campus to access buildings and dormitories and allowed women in need of the space private access to the room whenever it fit their schedule. Many states have lactation rights written in state law, and there may be grants available to help fund the construction of these rooms in public areas.
At the end of the day, all breastfeeding mothers need a clean, private space to nurse or pump. Providing that space is a simple, easy way to strengthen the pro-life safety net and make your church and community more welcoming for parenting and pregnant mothers.
Key Benefits
- make church welcoming
- provide moms with private space
- help moms stay at church
- provide hospitality
Media Gallery
Steps to Complete
- 1
Decide if you are evaluating or expanding a current nursing mothers' room or creating something new.
If you already have a nursing mothers’ room, use this checklist to audit the space. Can anything be renovated or changed to make the space more usable? Does it need to be updated to meet expanded needs? Is it secure?
Researching state lactation rights and parameters for nursing mothers’ room may be helpful, especially if you are building one in a school or workplace.
- 2
Find the space.
Do you have an office or unused room that you can empty? Do you have a cry room that you can adjust to also fit the needs of nursing mothers? If you lack a private space, how can you create a private area in a larger space? The room should have an outlet accessible and a sink in or near the space is ideal.
Since this will be a private space for individual use, it should be able to lock from the inside. A sign saying whether it is vacant or not vacant is also helpful.
- 3
Decide what work needs to be done and what your space will include.
Adapt the project based on your resources and availability. If you have an Eagle Scout looking for a project or high schoolers in need of community service hours, this is a great place for them to be active participants in the pro-life safety net.
Also select what will be in your space. Some staples include: comfortable seating, a changing table, hand sanitizer, soft lighting, curtains over any windows for privacy, and an electrical outlet, tissues, a mirror, snacks and water, and a trashcan.
- 4
Gather the materials and supplies needed.
You can make this project as large or small in scale as you want, but at minimum the room should include outlet access, a sink in or near the space, comfortable seating, a mirror, tissues, snacks and water, and a trashcan.
Appreciated but not strictly necessary items could be decor and lighting that makes the space comfortable and video or audio connection to the main service so moms can still hear the sermon.
This is also a great place to put handouts from the church and resources for mothers.
- 5
Integrate the nursing mothers' room in your community and ensure moms know the space is available.
Members of your hospitality team need to know how to direct a mother to the space who may be visiting or attending for the first time. Announce the addition of the nursing mothers’ room in the bulletin or from the pulpit for multiple weeks to ensure your congregation is informed.
If the nursing mothers’ room is being added to an existing space like a cry room, ensure the space is prioritized for nursing mothers. Sometimes adults without children will utilize the cry room if they arrive late or simply prefer the space. Permanent signage that advertises the use of the cry room for families and nursing mothers will allow women to feel empowered to nurse and pump in the space even if other individuals use the space.