Celebrating Veterans Who Are Breastfeeding Mothers -- Mamava Lactation Suites Now In All US Armed Forces
BURLINGTON, Vt. (PRWEB) November 08, 2017 -- With the recent delivery of a Mamava lactation suite to Hill Air Force Base in Utah, there are now Mamava units at sites representing all five branches of US Armed Services, the National Guard and the Veteran’s Administration, supporting breastfeeding mothers with a private, clean and comfortable place to pump. Each Mamava unit is a self-contained, 4-foot by 8-foot mobile pod that features comfortable benches, a fold-down table, and an electrical outlet for plugging in a breast pump.
This coming Veterans Day, Mamava shines a spotlight on all the breastfeeding mothers in the military who are doing double duty by serving their country and nourishing their infants. The military has come a long way in recent years to introduce more family-friendly policies: in 2015 they opened all combat jobs to women for the first time in American history and in 2016 the Pentagon extended paid maternity leave to 12 weeks for all branches of the military.
“We’re thrilled to support breastfeeding mothers in all 5 branches of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the VA,” said Sascha Mayer, Co-Founder and CEO of Mamava. “According to the Veterans Health Administration, women represent the fastest growing population group in the military. Women comprise 14.5% of active duty personnel and 18% of National Guard and Reserves. Many of these women are mothers and we believe that all mothers deserve a clean, comfortable, and dignified place to use a breast pump or breastfeed distraction-free—anywhere, anytime. Mamava pods provide flexibility for facilities and easy access for moms.”
Breastfeeding mothers need a lot of information and a lot of support, but breastfeeding mothers in the military may need even more. Historically male-dominated, the military’s traditions and spaces are also heavily weighted towards men. So for the increasing number of military mothers, breastfeeding can also mean educating coworkers, supervisors, and commanders about the benefits of breastfeeding, the logistics of breast pumping, and why breastfeeding women need a private place to pump.
Lactation spaces don’t need to be fancy or elaborate, but they do need to be private, comfortable, and available when mothers need them (while individual pumping schedules may vary, every pumping mother needs a space she can count on multiple times a day). A lactation room is a wonderful amenity, but for locations or facilities that lack the space or resources to build out a new room designed to support breast pumping, Mamava has invented a smart turnkey solution.
The complete list of Mamava Military locations include:
The U.S. Air Force:
- 305th Aerial Squadron at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst (JBMDL,) New Jersey
The U.S. Army:
- Madigan Army Medical Center, Washington
- Fort Benning, Georgia
- Walter Reed Medical Center, Maryland
- Landstuhl Army Medical Center, Germany
- Camp Wood Army Medical Home, South Korea
The U.S. Navy:
- The Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington.
- The US Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida
The U.S. Marines:
- Fleet Readiness Center at Cherry Point, North Carolina (serves both Marines and Navy)
The U.S. Coast Guard:
- United States Coast Guard Sector in San Diego
The U.S. National Guard:
- National Guard 148th Fighter Wing, Minnesota
- Wisconsin National Guard, Department of Military Affairs Joint Force Headquarters, Wisconsin
- VA Healthcare Facilities:
- Long Beach VA Healthcare System
- Honolulu VA Healthcare System
About Mamava
Based in Burlington, VT, Mamava is the expert in lactation space design, thoughtfully designing solutions for breastfeeding moms on the go. With both analog and digital products, Mamava products celebrate and support the 21st century breastfeeding mama. Mamava is mama-owned, made in America, and a proud member of the B-Corp community. The Mamava app, free for iOS and Android, helps moms find pumping and breastfeeding friendly locations on-the-go, unlock Mamava suites through the proprietary Mamava Smart Lock, and find useful breastfeeding content. For more information, visit http://www.mamava.com.
Ann Pechaver, Mamava, https://www.mamava.com/, +1 (802) 578-7512, [email protected]
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