Fabienne McPhail knows firsthand how hard it can be to go back to work and continue nursing an infant. Shortly after her children, now 19 and 13, were born, McPhail returned to her job at an accounting firm. But she didn't have any place to pump or store milk, so she stopped breastfeeding when the babies were six months old. "That was a disappointing experience for me," McPhail says. "I really enjoyed that part of being a new mom."
Now women at Stanford may not have to face that frustration. In November, the Women's Center opened the Nursing Nest, a lactation room for campus mothers. The cozy sanctuary is furnished with deep sofas, a refrigerator for storing milk, a changing table and a breast pump.
McPhail, who steps down early this year as the center's director, says the idea for the room grew out of discussions with graduate students and staff about how the University could help working mothers.
One woman who expects to take advantage of the new facility is Jan Barker Alexander, director of the Black Community Services Center, who is expecting her first child in March. "It is reassuring to know that resource is available to me," says Alexander. She's looking forward to meeting other new moms there.
McPhail hopes at least eight to 10 mothers will use the room regularly. She expects news about the facility to spread by word of mouth: "whenever I see a pregnant woman, I let her know."
