Enabling Nurse Students to Achieve Their Breastfeeding Goals

Abstract

Introduction: US workplace law requires employers to provide reasonable break time and space other than a bathroom for breastfeeding women to express their milk. However, this law does not include students in higher education institutions who choose to breastfeed, as students are typically not employed by their schools. The purpose of this report is to describe the joint efforts of faculty members and students to successfully operationalize a lactation room and develop college-specific lactation guidelines in a university in central Kentucky. Method: Students from a college of nursing (CON) participated in a survey (N = 135), of which 30% were parenting at that time (n = 41). Results: Responses from this subset were used to make the case to CON leadership and faculty to develop college-specific guidelines entitled, “Guidelines for Lactation Support,” which was included in students’ handbooks, and to the designated space for a lactation room in the CONbuilding. Discussion: The combined effort of faculty, administrators, and students was crucial to promotea breastfeeding-friendly environment in the CON.