Introduction
An employee's right to express milk at work is protected by Labor Law § 206-C, which requires employers to allow working women to use unpaid break time or paid meal time to nurse their babies or express milk for up to three years after the birth of their child. It also requires employers to provide a reasonable space where an employee can express milk in privacy and prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee who exercises this right.
Recognizing the benefits of breastfeeding and in compliance with the law, Columbia University is committed to ensuring that the needs of lactating women are met and now offers a breastfeeding support program. The breastfeeding support program is for mothers at Columbia returning to work, school, or visiting the campus who wish to express milk.
Health and Safety
Columbia University is committed to establishing and maintaining a healthful and safe work environment for our faculty, staff and students. While working at Columbia you may have varying health needs. For example, if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant and/or nursing and are concerned about potential exposure to biological, chemical or radiological agents you should speak with your physician and may also contact the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S).
Breastfeeding Advisory Committee
The Office of Work/Life would like to acknowledge the breastfeeding advisory committee for their contribution to the development of the breastfeeding support program:
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Jeanne Brooks-Gunn: Adjunct professor in pediatrics; Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Child Development and Education, Teachers College and College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; Co-director, National Center for Children and Families; Co-director, Columbia University Institute for Child and Family Policy
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Wendy Chavkin: Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, and Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Physicians and Surgeons
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Sara Sheets Cooke, DNP, RN-CS: Vice Dean of School of Nursing
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Laura Zeidenstein, DrNP, MSN, CNM: Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing and Director of Nurse-Midwifery Program
The breastfeeding support program includes:
- Private, clean lactation rooms throughout Columbia's campuses equipped with Medela Symphony Hospital-Grade Pumps
- Breast pump accessories for lactation room users at a substantial discounted rate
- Information and referrals for lactation consultants and support groups (available upon request)
- Educational materials and breastfeeding-related programs on campus (available upon request)
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Contact the Office of Work/Life at 212-854-8019 to:
- Receive the breastfeeding support program materials
- Learn about lactation room locations (a map is available upon request) and how to gain access to the rooms
- Purchase the breast pump accessories
- Provide feedback on services and suggestions for future programming
Columbia University provides lactation rooms to support nursing mothers returning to work, school, or campus. Each room offers a clean, secure, and private space for women who need to express breast milk during their time on campus. All of the rooms are equipped with a table, chair, and lock from the inside; some contain refrigerators and sinks. If a sink is not in the room itself, there is one close by. If you use a room where a refrigerator is not provided, we recommend that you bring a cooler to store your breast milk. Additionally there are Medela hospital grade breast pumps provided in each room; accessories will need to be provided by each individual user and can be purchased from the Office Of Work/Life (details below).
Women may access the lactation rooms only for the purposes of expressing, storing and collecting breast milk. The rooms listed below meet the lactation room requirements set forth by the Office of Work/Life. To access these rooms, please contact the Office of Work/Life at 212-854-8019 to receive the access code which will change periodically.
Lactation Room Locations
| Site | Location | Room Details | Hours |
|
Business School (Uris) |
Second floor |
Sink in nearby bathroom/Refrigeration in room |
Mon-Fri: 7:00 a.m-1:30 a.m.; Sat-Sun: 9:00 a.m.-1:30 a.m. |
|
Housing (Carman Hall) |
First floor | Sink in room/No refrigeration | 24 hour access; 7 days/week |
| Law School (Jerome Greene Hall) | Third floor |
Sink in room/No refrigeration |
9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; 7 days/week |
| School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (Mudd) | Sixth floor |
Sink in room/No refrigeration |
24 hour access; 7 days/week |
|
School of Social Work |
Third floor |
Sink in nearby bathroom/No refrigeration |
Mon: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. |
| Studebaker | Fourth floor | Sink in nearby bathroom/Refrigeration in room |
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; 7 days/week |
| Lamont Doherty Campus- Lamont Hall |
Second floor |
Sink in room/No refrigeration | 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; 5 days/week |
| Medical Center | Ph-17 |
Sink in nearby bathroom/No refrigeration |
24 hour access; 7 days/week |
Getting Started
To get started using any of the Columbia Lactation Rooms, just follow these steps:
1. Request access: Please contact the Office of Work/Life at 212-854-8019 to request access (key pad code) to the campus lactation rooms. It is best to do this at least ten days in advance of your use of the room. Please note: Room access codes will be changed periodically to ensure appropriate access and safety. The Office of Work/Life will communicate to all current users about the change in access in advance.
2. Obtain breast pump attachments: Each lactation room is equipped with a Medela Symphony electric, hospital grade pump. You will need to bring your own attachments for the Symphony pump, which are available in one package (Symphony Double Pumping Kit) through the Office of Work/Life at cost, or visit the Medela website other retailers. You may also want to review the Symphony pump instructions before your first visit. Breastfeeding mothers may also bring their own pump to and from the lactation room on a daily basis, but will be responsible for securing it against theft or use by others.
3. Plan for storage/cooling: Refrigeration/storage is provided in some, not all, of the lactation rooms on campus, so be prepared to store your breast milk as needed. Columbia University is not responsible for the security or integrity of breast milk stored in or outside of the lactation room refrigerator.
Cleaning & Sanitization
All Lactation room users are expected to clean up after each use of a room, especially when using the on-site pump equipment. This is not only out of respect for the next user, but to prevent contamination and illness transmission. Each user should allow enough time, within a visit, to clean the pump equipment of breast milk spills and dispose of trash properly. Antibacterial sprays/wipes and paper towels are provided for cleaning.
Privacy
Upon accessing the room, slide the sign to IN USE to alert other users that someone is using the room. Slide the sign back to VACANT when you leave the room unoccupied. Please respect the privacy of all lactation room users by knocking prior to typing in the access code for the rooms. Do not prop open the door at any time.
The following are a list of websites and articles that we have found to contain helpful information about breastfeeding. Columbia University has no affiliation with these organizations; the links below are for information purposes only.
- Breastfeeding.com: A site for mothers and nursing professionals who want support and advice. Features tips for working mothers, research articles, FAQs, message boards, and more.
- Choices in Childbirth: A New York City-based consumer advocacy group that educates the public about women's rights and options in childbirth. Choices in Childbirth offers "the New York Guide to a Healthy Birth" at no cost, which provides a comprehensive listing of childbirth-related and breastfeeding service providers in New York.
- La Leche League: Strives to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
- Realbirth: Provides pregnancy, childbirth education, breastfeeding support and extensive new parent education for modern women and families.
- 92nd Street Y-First Steps Program: A New York City based, comprehensive program for parents to be, including breastfeeding information and support.
