Lactation Rooms at Duke Get Upgraded
Mary Amarante, a pharmacist in Pediatrics at Duke Hospital, found a pleasant surprise when she returned to work after giving birth to her second child.
Amarante, who had used the lactation room in Duke Hospital after giving birth to her first child two years ago, found that the room had been completely refurbished with new equipment, furniture, cleaning supplies and educational materials.
"It's really a great resource for all of us busy working moms," said Amarante, a nine year Duke employee. "I tell people that it is so nice to work at a place that would dedicate space like this where you can take care of everything. I can't imagine having to find a bathroom or an empty office to use."
The lactation room in Duke Hospital is one of five that Duke recently refurbished to create a more secure and supportive environment for women balancing their return to work with their needs as mothers of young children. The other rooms are located in Perkins Library, Duke Clinics and the Duke Clinical Research Institute (see sidebar for specific rooms and directions).
The upgraded lactation rooms are directly related to the work of the Women's Initiative introduced by President Nannerl O. Keohane last fall. Following the report from the initiative, Keohane established the President's Commission on the Status of Women to ensure that the issues identified in the report remain a priority for Duke.
Mindy Kornberg, an assistant vice president in Human Resources who is one of the 16 members of the commission, said that the improvements make a striking difference.
"Before, several departments had designated rooms for women to use, but there was little or no oversight regarding the use of those rooms," she said. "So often, the rooms were also used for storage or other purposes or just left unclean. Duke has made a significant investment to upgrade these rooms and has established a committee to provide central oversight and support going forward."
During the last year, Human Resources worked with the committee of representatives across Duke to assess the existing rooms, make recommendations for improvement and implement those recommendations. Today, the rooms have been outfitted with new electric breast pumps, comfortable chairs, privacy curtains, artwork, educational materials, and cleaning supplies.
But one of the first improvements was to make all the rooms more secure. Today, the rooms can only be accessed by DukeID cards that have been activated for that purpose.
"I really like the secure access," Amarante said. "Before, you may go in and find that someone was using the phone in the room, which was a little disconcerting. At least now, you know that the people coming in are supposed to be there."
Because more than one person may need to use the room during the same time slot, each room has a log book to facilitate room coordination with other users. Amarante has enjoyed the fact that more women are using the lactation room at Duke Hospital.
"I get to meet other moms who are experiencing the same situation," she said. "We talk and ask questions of each other, because managing all of this is a lot harder than the books tell you."
Women can either bring their own pumps or use the Medela Lactina electric pump in the rooms. Attachments for the Medela Lactina pump can be purchased in one package at the Bouncing Ball Gift Shop on the first floor of Duke Children's Hospital or at other retail locations. The Bouncing Ball Gift Shop is open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Refrigeration and storage are not provided in the rooms, so users should make arrangements to store their milk appropriately.
Faculty, staff or students interested in using one of the lactation rooms should contact Staff & Family Programs at 684-9040 to request activation of their Duke ID card for a specific room. Individuals are encouraged to submit requests for access at least three business days in advance. More information about the lactation rooms at Duke and other child and family benefits can be found on the
Lactation Rooms web site.
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