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Lactation Resources

WVU Lactation Support

This document reflects the general principles outlined in Federal Code SEC. 4207 REASONABLE BREAK TIME FOR NURSING MOTHERS.

Effective Date: August 1, 2012

Goals

  1. To maintain physical locations in various accessible locations throughout campus so that women have the ability to utilize lactation rooms.
  2. To provide new mothers with private, safe and accessible locations across campus where they are able to express milk for nursing children.
  3. To ensure that WVU employees and students have reasonable break-time and appropriate locations to express milk.
  4. To ensure that the broader University community is aware of the needs of nursing mothers and their children, as well as the benefits of breastfeeding in general.
  5. Facilities Management will require that all new buildings and complete renovations to existing structures must include consideration of a Lactation Room in each project. Although new construction projects and major renovations may not ultimately include a lactation room, advance consideration of the appropriateness for such rooms should be part of the planning process.

Time Away from Work

Supervisors should keep in mind that expressing breast milk may be a physical necessity for some mothers. By law, supervisors must “provide a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for up to one year after the child’s birth each time such employee has the need to express milk.” Mothers who need to express breast milk must be permitted to visit lactation rooms when necessary and be provided reasonable time to do so. The lactation time may run concurrently with break times already provided, but supervisors should be flexible in allowing nursing mothers to select appropriate times to utilize a lactation room on campus. This may include non-exempt staff not having to clock out to express milk or permitting flexible schedules to allow for breaks.

Lactation Rooms on Campus

A list of Lactation Rooms and other resources is available through the Women’s Resource Center. The amenities available in each room are identified. Lactation Rooms may also be located on the Mamava app.