University of North Texas

Lactation rooms – private, secure areas for nursing mothers – have been completed in five campus buildings. Two additional rooms are planned.

UNT is committed to providing an environment for female faculty, staff and students who are breastfeeding, said Gilda Garcia, above, right, vice president for Institutional Equity and Diversity, with Amanda Wimberly, facilities senior project designer.

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care also calls for certain organizations with 50 or more employees to  provide a private location and  “reasonable break time” for an employee to  express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth. The lactation room cannot be a bathroom.

Five rooms for breast feeding have been completed and furnished in the busiest buildings:

• Discovery Park
• Willis Library
• Gateway Center
• General Academic Building
• University Union

A sixth room is under construction at Sage Hall, and another is currently planned for the College of Education's autism research center planned to be completed Fall 2012.

The private rooms are indicated by the universal breast feeding logo, right.

Each room has a wood-look vinyl plank floor for ease of cleaning, includes a bariatric chair (rated to hold up to 1,000 pounds) covered in vinyl upholstery (also for ease of cleaning), a side table, and a table lamp so nursing mothers can turn off the overhead light if they so choose. 

Each room also includes an outlet for a breast pump, and a Koala brand changing table. There are no sinks in the rooms, but wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispensers installed.

• Find locations for the mother friendly rooms in the attachment below.

“We are pleased to have private rooms for nursing mothers,” Garcia says. “Women previously could use a private office or room in a department, but this allows us to be even more aware of the needs of our faculty, staff and students. Our sensitivity to campus demographics will help with recruitment for both faculty and staff.”

The Texas Health Code identifies organizations as “mother friendly” when they establish policies to support  worksite breast feeding. The code also allows breast feeding in any location.

• Find FAQs about lactation rooms. 

(Photo by Gary Payne)