EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A newly installed lactation pod at Luke’s Place at Egin Air Force Base offers a private space for eligible nursing military and civilian mothers to provide nourishment for their children.
An Air Force Guidance Memorandum released last year in reference to a new lactation policy, requires units to provide access to a lactation room. The memorandum aligns with a medical care management Air Force instruction that provides lactation practices guidance.
Senior Airman Elisha Banks, 96th LRS, said her idea to acquire the pod came from a need for privacy at work to meet her baby’s necessities.
“It’s my choice to provide my child with breast milk, which has amazing benefits,” she said.
Banks said she pumped in borrowed offices, bathrooms and closed-off corners in a break room without the availability of a designated space at the squadron.
Banks researched the pod and gathered all related information and guidance. The plan to buy a pod was approved by 96th LRS leadership in January and a pod arrived in November. Another pod is expected soon.
Among other requirements, a lactation space must be private, secure and sanitary. It must be temperature-controlled, in accordance with public health regulations and close to a nursing mother’s workplace within unit facilities. It also must be near a hot and cold-water source and electrical outlets for breast pumps and must have a place to sit and a flat surface to place pumps and supplies. A refrigerator/freezer must also be available for storing expressed milk.
The pod contains a storage cabinet for cleaning supplies and other amenities include a table, mirror, coat hook, power outlets and USB ports.
The Airman and other 96th LRS mothers are excited about their new “Lactation Station.”
“The pod makes the balance of work and home easier,” she said. “It benefits our squadron’s military and civilian moms, and visiting spouses who need this space.”
Banks said the installation of lactation pods at military installations helps service branches’ retention efforts.
“The Air Force offers mothers an option to separate from the military within one year from giving birth, and this gives mothers one more reason to stay in the service,” Banks said. “Promoting breastfeeding shows care for its members and their families on a personal level.”
Lt. Col. Ryan Mansfield, 96th LRS commander, praised Banks’ efforts in getting the pod to the squadron.
“We are proud to have Airmen that not only see areas where we can improve, and are motivated to research solutions and bring them to fruition,” he said. “SrA Banks led the charge in creating a work environment with private lactation pods for our nursing mothers so we can support and take care of our families, not only in our unit, but across the installation.”