Kelsey Butler | (TNS) Bloomberg News
Breastfeeding is one of the biggest challenges for a new mother returning to work in the United States
This usually requires bringing a breast pump to work, scheduling time in a busy schedule to express milk every few hours, and then cleaning and storing it after each session.
“What if, in order to order a cup of coffee, you had to pack up your coffee maker in the morning, bring it to work, put it in a gym bag, go to a small closet, undress, set up the coffee maker and make the coffee? And do that three or four more times throughout the day,” says Patrice Meagher, founder and CEO of corporate lactation room startup MilkMate.
MilkMate claims to have developed a method that saves 15 minutes per pumping session. For working mothers who have to pump around three times a day while they work, this can add up to 23 working days saved per year.
Employers including real estate developer Hines, law firm Blank Rome and Dartmouth College are already using MilkMate to support breastfeeding parents.
The concept is simple: MilkMate sets up its Food and Drug Administration-approved collective breast pumps along with a cabinet full of sterilized kits for personal use that are disposable after each session. The milk collection and pumping mechanisms are separate to prevent cross-contamination. A mom can simply come in, grab a kit, pump, and leave. No need to wash or sterilize parts, and no need to lug a pump to the office.
“It makes it easier for people to come to the office and be more productive in the office,” said Whitney Burns, senior vice president of global client strategy at Hines, who worked with MilkMate to add the service to the real estate company’s coworking space at 205 Hudson in New York City.
In the United States, about seven in 10 workers do not have access to parental leave, and even mothers who do receive it typically receive a much shorter period of leave than in Canada and many European countries. This means that these parents may be forced to return to work while still breastfeeding, requiring them to pump regularly. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life, and many mothers continue to breastfeed for several months after food is introduced.
Although there are no official figures on the number of working parents in the United States, last year there were 5.6 million working mothers with children aged one year or younger.
In a 2023 survey of 1,000 mothers, 31% said they didn’t meet their breastfeeding goals because they had to return to work. Research shows that a lack of workplace resources, such as a dedicated pumping space or adequate breaks, can force a mother to stop breastfeeding early or increase her stress.
Hines could add MilkMate to other locations if it is well-received by users, Burns said, adding that the system offers a competitive advantage for commercial real estate spaces.
In 2022, legislation known as the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act expanded mothers’ rights and required employers to give workers time to pump in spaces other than restrooms, extending that protection to an estimated 9 million additional workers — and pushing even smaller employers to provide accommodations.
MilkMate pump users don’t pay a dime; either the owner or employer foots the bill. Initial consultations, integration, and installation of the MilkMate pump cost between $4,000 and $9,000, and ongoing service averages $5,000 per year.
Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business will add MilkMate service to its campus in the coming weeks in an effort to reduce a “stressful logistical challenge” for breastfeeding mothers, Paul Mutone, the school’s associate dean of finance and administration, said in an email.
MilkMate sees the opportunity to expand beyond traditional office spaces, including hospitals, hotels and manufacturing centers.
The New York company isn’t alone in trying to improve the work environment for new moms. Startup Work & Mother creates shared nursing rooms on company premises. And Nessel, whose clients include Tesla Inc. and PwC, offers portable sinks and soundproof nursing booths.
As MilkMate’s Meagher says: “How do you make a working parent’s life easier? By giving them more time to work.”
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