City Opens Mobile Breastfeeding Pods In All Five Boroughs

NEW YORK CITY, NY – The city is launching mobile units for breastfeeding throughout the city.

The five “lactating pods” opened for business on Tuesday, during World Breastfeeding Week. They feature benches, tables, electrical outlets for breast pumps and lockable doors.

The facilities are currently located at Harlem Hospital, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Queens Hospital Center, the Bronx Zoo and the Staten Island Children’s Museum.

“We are fortunate to live in a city that protects a mother’s right to breastfeed anywhere, anytime. We’re happy to provide a comfortable option for women who prefer to breastfeed or pump in a private space,” Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement.

Last year, the city passed a law requiring lactation rooms in certain locations offering social services to the public. There are nearly 30 such sites today (see a list here).

Lively spirits pervaded an event for the opening of a lactation pod at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, according to DNAinfo.

“It was comfortable. It was cozy,” the first woman to use the pod, Chana Dawkins-Mason, told the site.

Lead image via nyc.gov.