Burlington, VT, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With increased focus on working mothers and the passage of the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act, demand for lactation accommodations has spiked, reports Mamava, the nation’s largest designer and manufacturer of lactation pods. The company’s YoY revenue grew 180% in 2022 and its first quarter inbound lead volume, so far, is nearly double that of last year. The PUMP Act, which becomes enforceable on April 28, extends workplace breastfeeding rights to more than 9 million workers, including teachers, nurses, and agricultural workers, not previously covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Mamava, the Vermont-based inventor of freestanding lactation pods, offers a full line of comfortable all-in-one lactation spaces designed specifically to meet the needs of breastfeeding employees at work and to help U.S. workplaces comply quickly with the expanded federal labor law. The PUMP Act replaces section 7r of the FLSA—Break Time for Nursing Mothers—and now requires break time and a private (non-bathroom) workplace lactation space for all breastfeeding employees. Previously the FLSA protections for pumping at work only applied to nonexempt employees (e.g, those eligible for overtime). The PUMP Act also protects an employee's right to file a complaint or sue their employer for non-compliance and outlines a process for doing so.
Mamava lactation pods are private, self-contained spaces with comfortable benches, shelving, and outlets for plugging in a breast pump. The lactation suites come in a range of sizes to meet the needs of various businesses and organizations. Mamava’s product line includes two larger lactation pod models: the Mamava Original and the Mamava XL, designed for wheelchair access. The line also includes the compact Mamava Solo and a room furnishing called the Mamava Mini. Buying a pod rather than building out a room allows a business to avoid high construction costs and permitting. All of Mamava’s pods have integrated furnishing and can be assembled in a few hours. They’re designed with facilities in mind: easy to clean and simple to move as needs change. Mamava pod pricing starts at $9,500, not including shipping and delivery.
“The passage of the PUMP Act ensures that all breastfeeding parents have lactation accommodations at work. We created Mamava to make breastfeeding easier and accessible to all parents, and that requires support in the form of good public policy,” says Sascha Mayer, Cofounder of Mamava and Chief Experience Officer. “As a business, we have planned wisely to meet public policy with the infrastructure that will allow businesses to affordably comply with the law. The momentum of the PUMP Act passage enables us to accomplish our mission to support, celebrate, and normalize breastfeeding for parents in the U.S.” A recent survey found 31% of working parents plan to breastfeed longer in response to new breastfeeding guidelines introduced in 2022 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Mamava’s client base spans all 50 states and sectors, including airports, retail spaces, hospitals, museums, universities, football and baseball stadiums, schools, zoos, government institutions, and military bases. The free Mamava app helps parents wayfind to thousands of lactation spaces, and not just Mamava pods. The company acquired its own manufacturing facility in Springfield, VT in 2021 and has partnered with Medela, voted the most trusted breast pump brand in America*, to create a comprehensive lactation benefits program for employers.
“As employers evaluate policies, some offices are being reimagined to better meet the needs of a hybrid work environment. But even where employees might be working on site only a couple days a week, businesses will still need to comply with lactation accommodation laws and make sure the needs of employees are met,” says Mayer. “Our designs are fully inclusive of the physiological needs of breast pumping and provide best-in-class lactation options and support, not just something that brings them into compliance. This will also drive the creation of better lactation policies and employee training.”
To help employers understand how the PUMP Act will impact their business, Mamava is hosting a free webinar: Unpacking the PUMP Act: What Employers Need to Know on Wednesday, April 12 at 2 p.m. ET. Speakers include Sascha Mayer, Cofounder and Chief Experience Officer, Mamava; Dana Kirwin, Director of Employer and Government Relations, Medela; and Liz Morris, J.D., Deputy Director for The Center for WorkLife Law. Register for the webinar here.
* Voted most trusted breast pump brand by United States and Canadian shoppers based on the 2023 BrandSpark® American and Canadian Trust Studies.
About Mamava
Mamava is dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding. The category creator of freestanding lactation pods, Mamava provides breastfeeding parents with private, dignified, and comfortable spaces to pump or nurse—at work and on the go. The free Mamava app helps breastfeeding parents find thousands of lactation spaces and unlock Mamava pods (available for iOS and Android). Women-founded and a proud B Corp, Mamava designs, engineers, and assembles lactation pods at their manufacturing facilities in Vermont. Founded in 2013, Mamava has delivered thousands of lactation spaces to organizations that span airports, hospitals, stadiums, schools, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. To learn more about Mamava’s full product line and lactation support resources, visit mamava.com and follow Mamava on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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