For most women, being a mom doesn’t come with the luxury of being able to sit around the house all day watching soap operas and eating pizza—and who wants to do that anyway? Moms have errands to run and usually have to take their babies along. If a breastfed baby gets hungry, why shouldn’t their mom be able to feed them? Now she can in the breastfeeding pods offered at certain Walmart locations.
- I know, I know, Walmart is a terrible company in a lot of ways. I have major issues with the way they treat workers and how little they pay them, among other things, but I’m also aware that they’re sometimes the least expensive and most accessible store for many people to get what they need from, so I can’t hate on that. The breastfeeding pods are still a very positive thing that should be celebrated.
- The company behind the pods, Mamava, is pretty great. Mamava specializes in creating pods and rooms, otherwise known as “lactation suites,” for breastfeeding moms on the go. Having their pods in certain Walmart locations across the country is a fantastic step in making businesses friendlier and less stressful for moms and their babies.
- Bringing the pods to stores was the brainchild of Tennille Webb, a senior business relations manager for Walmart. Webb used one of the pods at an airport while traveling and thought they would make a great addition in her local Walmart store. She’s our new hero!
- The suites are pretty amazing. Not only does it offer moms privacy while pumping or breastfeeding their babies, but they also have outlets to plug in the breast pump, a comfortable place to sit, and controls for the temperature and lighting in the pod.
- They’re only in a couple of stores to start with. So far, Mamava’s pods are only available for customer and employee use at stores in Bentonville, Arkansas, Gilbert, Arizona and Williston, Vermont. Hopefully, if they get used enough and receive enough of a positive response, we’ll see breastfeeding pods appearing in other Walmart stores across the country too.
