Subject: Workplace Accommodations for Nursing Mothers

Along with many other women at UCAR/NCAR, I'm a nursing mother, so I need to pump breast milk while at work. In the past, there has been division-allocated space given to nursing women to express milk, but no NCAR-wide policy. Recently, the room that our division was using for this was taken away.

I am writing to ask why UCAR/NCAR does not have dedicated space on each campus for mothers who need to pump breast milk while at work. For those of us who do not have private offices, it is really a challenge to find private spaces for pumping, and an even bigger challenge when visiting other NCAR campuses for meetings. Many large companies have a "lactation station" for nursing mothers to use, which can be as basic as a windowless room with a table, chair, and outlet. I was given access to a First Aid room, but many other people also use this room for medical reasons.

Since breastfeeding is not a medical issue, would it be possible to have dedicated spaces at all NCAR campuses for nursing mothers to use for pumping?

Please also see House Bill 08-1276, "Concerning Workplace Accommodations for Nursing Mothers," which passed in August 2008, for reference.

Answered on July 10, 2009

Thank you for your question. It is very timely! We have included the requirement for a lactation room on each UCAR campus as part of the Space Management Plan that is under development and will be presented to the President's Council in August. We will establish lactation rooms soon after Council approval.

Katy Schmoll
Vice President for Finance and Administration