Moms have a new place to breastfeed in public

Publication Date: 2024-07-10

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Mothers needing to breastfeed their children in public have a new option in Anne Arundel County. Today at Discoveries: The Library at the Mall in Westfield Mall they had a ribbon cutting for a new Mamava Lactation pod. It's a code-secured room available at locations around the country. Moms can find these safe spaces by using the Mamava app. The app provides location, security codes and you can give feedback on the condition of sites.

"People can breastfeed however they so choose, whatever they feel comfortable with they can do, so we just wanted to provide another option." Library Branch Manager Rachel Myers is always on the lookout for improvements of the experience families coming to the library have. She came up with the idea for creating the space several years ago. And after receiving several requests from families for one, she approached the Anne Arundel County Public Library and Foundation about creating this safe space for moms with a hungry mouth to feed. The foundation raised a little over thirty thousand dollars to have the Mamava Lactation pod installed.

She says, "We serve a lot of families uh with our story times and kindergarten readiness initiatives and one of the things that they really wanted was a comfortable, clean, private space to breastfeed or pump while they're at the library. So that they don't have to fully leave the library um to find somewhere else to meet their needs."

New mom Brook Schoenbeck plans on using the pod as a way to help her son focus on feeding.

"When he was younger it was pretty easy to do." Brook tells us she never had a problem with how others might perceive her feeding her baby in public. It was simply a matter of when he needed to eat, he ate. But as Brook's little one became more observant of the world around him, a different kind of challenge presented itself.

"He sees another baby, he sees another adult, there's a noise, there's something fun to look at that's...he just has a hard time focusing when it comes to eating. So having like a lactation pod or something like that is always really nice to have a space to go to where he doesn't get distracted easily."

Having this space means Brook has a safe place for this special bonding time with her son. Whenever he needs it.

"I think it's an awesome idea." Something Shannon wishes she had while she was trying to get her baby to breastfeed.

"I don't really like doing that in proper public. So I think I would want somewhere to kind of go and retreat and get that taken care of." Shannon told us her daughter was a hard case when it came to breastfeeding. So having a resource like the pod at the library may have helped.

"I know the library is one of those places that if you're having any issues, if you don't know where to go, if you need resources, you come to the library. It's just, that's what we do every day."

And now mothers with hungry babies have another resource to help their kids thrive.

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