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The latest innovation in the slooooowly developing area of accomodating breastfeeding moms? Airport "lactation stations." That's right: Mamava, making its debut at Burlington International Airport in Vermont this month (which just happens to be National Breastfeeding Month), is a breastfeeding/pumping station complete with antimicrobial surfaces, electrical outlets, and "soft lighting." In other words, a heavenly oasis for the traveling, lactating mom.
Now, perhaps this idea makes you roll your eyes and think some petty thought along the lines of, Oh, like it's really so hard to nurse a baby/pump in an airport? If that's the case, I can only assume you've never nursed or pumped in any public place, ever.
Before I became a mom, my opinion of airports was pretty much: Eh, an inconvenient and annoying part of traveling, but whatevs. No big deal. Then I had kids, and I realized that a crowded airport is nothing less than the 10th circle of hell in terms of utter torment. What a fool I was, complaining about two-hour layovers when all I had to do was sit and read a magazine or knock back a couple of cocktails at the terminal bar! If only I'd known how much harder and more horrifying air travel would become when colicky babies/restless toddlers/bored big kids were part of the equation.
And that's not even taking the whole nursing part of the equation into account. I don't know what it is about airplanes/airports that brings out the breastfeeding haters, but more people I know (myself included) have run into opposition while flying the "friendly" skies than anywhere else.
My kids are way past the point of breastfeeding, but if I ever had another baby, I would be thrilled to find one of these in an airport. Wouldn't you??
Do you think airport lactation stations are a good idea?
Image via Mamava.com
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
