Lactation Rooms and Stations

A dedicated lactation room can help increase rates of breastfeeding, contributing to improved health outcomes for mothers and their children.

Key Terms

• A Lactation Room is a private and dedicated space, other than a bathroom, which includes a table, seating, sink, refrigerator, and an electrical outlet, and that can be used by regular occupants to express breast milk.
• A Lactation Station is a private and fully enclosed area or pod, other than a bathroom, which includes seating, a table, and an electrical outlet, and that can be used by regular occupants to express breast milk.

For full strategy and documentation requirements, please refer to the digital scorecard made available on the Fitwel Platform.

Strategy Insights

• Lactation rooms and/or stations must be provided as an enclosed room(s). Curtain, partitions, or other non-structural dividers may not be used in lieu of designating a private room(s). Lactation stations within a designated lactation room may be separated by curtains and partitions, however.
• Lactation rooms must be a dedicated space used solely for lactation. They may not share functions or be used for any other purpose. 
• The required ratios enumerating the number of lactation rooms and/or stations is set based on research. Projects may not deviate from the ratios as stated based on the current and/or presumed number of female regular occupants.
• While lactation rooms are only required to be available for regular occupants, if they are in a space and accessible for use by other occupants, the number provided must meet demand based on the total number of occupants with access.

Documentation Guidance

• Include annotated photographs that show clearly the context and show where and on which floor the lactation room(s)  is located within the project.