“NEPMU2’s Mother’s Room is wonderful, and I’m so happy I found out about it,” said Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Andrea Stoppel. “I worked at the mail center nearby, so I used to stop in to use the room on my mail runs. The presence or absence of this type of accommodation can have a big impact on milk supply and your ability to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.”
NEPMU2, whose mission includes health promotion and wellness, felt a special obligation to create a breastfeeding space. Established in 2014 by Capt. Jennifer Espiritu during her tenure as NEPMU2 officer in charge (OIC), the “Mother’s Room” is a private office with locking door, an electrical outlet, comfortable chair, table, couch, and fridge for milk storage, as well as educational materials for breastfeeding and donated pumping and nursing supplies.
In March 2018 the Navy released OPNAV Instruction 6000.1D, “Navy Guidelines Concerning Pregnancy and Parenthood,” an update to the 2007 policy that reaffirms its commitment to enable breastfeeding mothers in uniform to provide milk for their babies. Furthermore, it now mandates that commanding officers provide a “private clean room for expressing breastmilk,” with access to running water for hand-washing and pump cleaning within the room.
This Navy policy aligns with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, which recommend exclusive breastfeeding of infants for six months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced until the child reaches at least 1 year of age.
In 2016, maternity leave across the military was increased from six weeks to 12 weeks. This has resulted in a significant increase in breastfeeding duration and exclusivity through nine months for active duty mothers, as evidenced by a recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2018 meeting.
The benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby (and the military) are numerous. For example, breastmilk enzymes, immunoglobulins and white blood cells boost baby’s immune system, which means fewer sick days for baby and fewer missed workdays for mom. And because a breastfeeding mother’s body burns approximately 500-1000 calories per day to make milk, her increased metabolism can help facilitate postpartum weight loss in preparation for her next physical fitness assessment.
“We have a duty, as part of our public health mission at NEPMU2, to adhere not only to the OPNAV instruction, but to support breastfeeding mothers from the standpoint of evidence-based best practice,” said Cmdr. Marion Gregg, OIC of NEPMU2. “We invite servicewomen at neighboring commands, as well as those visiting on orders to Naval Station Norfolk, to use our Mother’s Room, and to consider creating a similar space at their own command.”
With increased awareness, and a bit of ingenuity and resourcefulness, the number of lactation suites on installations can grow, providing solutions for nursing military moms on the go, and making Naval Station Norfolk and other military facilities a friendlier place for mothers.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2018 14:34 |
| Story ID: | 285859 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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