Mother's Rooms at Conferences

Are you are planning your next offsite corporate event? Make sure to include a place for breastfeeding mothers to pump milk! Breastfeeding mothers attending corporate events outside the company building or their normal office space need a place to pump milk, which may not be readily available unless it’s planned. With advance planning, you can ensure that the mothers at your corporate events are taken care of, this includes your employees, partners of employees, and customers. Here are ways you can plan an area for breastfeeding mothers at your next conference, holiday party or company event.

1. Reserve mother’s room space at the event location. If you are having an event at a convention center or hotel, be sure to include rooms designated for breastfeeding mothers. It is best to reserve small conference rooms or meeting rooms located near the event, and preferably near a bathroom and with outlets. For smaller hotels, a hotel room or suite could be reserved for breastfeeding mothers. Ensure that the space is within a reasonable distance from the event. Less than five minutes away is ideal. You can hire Healthy Horizons to help you upgrade the provided space.

2. Create your own space If you only have a large space like a ballroom to work with, bring in a portable mother’s room! They are ideal in large event areas or when a small room near the event is not available. These rooms ensure that moms have a clean place to pump and the appropriate privacy. Healthy Horizons can help you source inflatable rooms and outfit them to make them a comfortable space. We can also give you guidance on pipe and draping within a room.

3. Room access and signage Be sure that the room is properly identified as a mother’s room with appropriate access. If it is not possible to lock or restrict access to the room while someone is using it, make sure there is a sign that can be put up to indicate that the room is being used. Putting up a wall divider or partition to block the view of the room from the door helps prevent a lost employee and a pumping mother from an embarrassing situation if the door is accidentally opened.

4. Provide kits and pumps Traveling to a different location other than the company site requires a breastfeeding mother to ensure she has brought everything she needs to pump. But it is easy to leave something behind, or sometimes things are lost during travel. Providing hospital grade breastpumps and kits ensures that your employees and attendees have what they need so they do not have to leave to retrieve their kit or buy pump parts. Purchasing a few kits and spare parts for the mother’s room helps save your company time and improves an attendee's experience.

5. Keep the milk cool Mothers need an area to store their breast milk during the company event. Rent refrigerators and have them in the mother’s room or nearby so moms can store their milk properly during the event. You can also keep cold packs in the fridge or freezer, and provide coolers or cooling boxes for moms to transport their milk home.

6. Communicate mother’s room availability and amenities to your employees Make sure your breastfeeding employees know what is provided to them for the event so they can plan accordingly. A mom needs to know if pumps will be provided, if there is a place for storage, and where the rooms are located! Ensure that the managers and event staff are communicating what is provided so employees are prepared at the event.

Providing mother’s rooms at your offsite corporate events is not only an important part of your lactation program but also keeps up the productivity of your employees. It’s important that your moms are able to conveniently pump milk at these events to prevent breastfeeding problems, provide milk for their babies, and enjoy the event stress free. Healthy Horizons Corporate Lactation Services is experienced in providing for the needs of mothers for offsite corporate events. Contact us to setup your mother’s room at your next corporate event!