Did you know there is a “Lactation Advocacy Committee” at the University of Minnesota?
There is indeed, and it is “working to provide adequate resources for nursing parents” due to the allegedly insufficient number of lactation stations on campus.
The Minnesota Daily reports the current figure of 35 stations just isn’t enough; it seems this number doesn’t meet the “high” demand, not to mention how the stations are “spaced out” presents a problem.
Lactation Advocacy Committee Co-Chair Sara Benning said “Providing adequate time and place for breastfeeding parents is fundamental to a campus that is committed to equity,” while student Katie Robertson added “There are so many parents out there that need a space, that need to know it’s going to be okay and you don’t need to drop out of school.”
The Women’s Center continues to advocate for breastfeeding parents and the LAC applies for funding through the Gender Equity Grant.
“We saw this as an issue that connected with the mission of our office, in terms of gender equity and how … we help educate folks on campus,” said Anitra Cottledge, director of the Women’s Center.
If a department or building does not have a space, parents are forced to go elsewhere to find a place to breast pump.
“Without adequate places and time for breastfeeding, individuals are choosing between breastfeeding and fully engaging in an academic and professional life at the [University],” said Sarah Keene, co-chair of LAC.
After returning to the University in the fall of 2017 with a 3-month-old son, Chelsea Ward, a fifth-year senior, said she received criticism from students and a professor for her choice to breast pump on campus.
Ward said she received more push back for breast pumping on campus than she did breast feeding her son at the University and had to work her class schedule around breast pumping.
Although the Lactation Advocacy Committee provides resources for students who are nursing, it laments the lack of an institutional plan for a campus-wide network of lactation stations.
“There is no central contact where students can get help setting up a lactation space in their building,” Robertson said.
MORE: Campus women’s center offers support for ‘chestfeeding’
MORE: Breastfeeding brouhaha
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