St Vincent's new Parental Room

01 Mar 2022

For breastfeeding mums returning to work, finding a private and appropriate place to breastfeed or express breast milk has historically been a challenge.

Upon returning to work following her second child, Dr Jessica Green found herself expressing milk in spare offices when they became available, which was neither convenient nor comfortable. As a result, Jessica made the decision to wean her baby off breastmilk earlier than she would have liked.

“I didn’t want that to be the experience for breastfeeding mums returning to work going forward, and so we formed a small working party set out to make some changes”, Jessica said.

Together a small team of women set out to better support staff returning to work following parental leave, and with a location identified, the team planned the space from the purchase of breastfeeding friendly ergonomic chairs, easy to reach side-tables, baby change area, and privacy screens.

“The parental room allows people to continue on the breast feeding or expressing journey they wish to, despite their return to work. Providing this space allows parents to feel close to their child with a sense of calm in a busy working environment”, said Dr Megan Cameron, part of the committee and breastfeeding mum.

“This has been a long time coming”, Jessica said. “It’s so important for breastfeeding parents to have a clean, safe and private place where they can feel comfortable. Returning to work as a new parent is hard enough, to have this room seems like such a small thing but it makes a big impact”.

Staff who need to use the parental room should contact Security to arrange access. Open to all staff, the room is located next to the Café 3 on the Xavier ground floor.

Jessica Green cropped

Dr Jessica Green