Supes Call For Lactation Policy For Orange County Facilities

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Nursing moms who work for the county will have an easier time finding a place to breastfeed, according to the Orange County Board of Supervisors. On Tuesday, the supes voted to develop a policy to that end for all county facilities.

Supervisor Andrew Do said he had heard anecdotes of moms breastfeeding in their cars or supply closets while on the job.

"I don't believe that's acceptable," he said. "We have made great strides in recent years at (John Wayne Airport) and the new county building, but we could do more. That's why I introduced this."
County staff was directed to identify a list of appropriate places in county facilities where moms could breastfeed their babies and then publicize the locations online.

Recently, John Wayne Airport implemented traveling mothers a Nursing Mother's Lounge as a quiet private space to pump breastmilk or to nurse their babies.

"The lounge is located in Terminal B between Gates 11 and 12," the airport says on their website. The featured amenities include "comfortable seating, a sink, a changing table, adjustable lighting and artwork made up of Orange County student art entries from JWA's annual aviation-themed student art contest," a spokesperson for the airport said.

The lactation rooms answer the questions nursing mothers have long faced.

According to Do, new moms "should not be asking if there's a lactation room, but they should be asking where there is a space for breastfeeding."