Coordinator & Nursing Mother Responsibilities

The successful operation of the lactation rooms depends on the voluntary efforts of the users and the coordinators. Guidelines for each role are described below.

Coordinator Responsibilities

The coordinator’s role is generally limited to keeping the room clean and facilitating room access. Specifically, it is helpful for the coordinator to:

  • As needed, update the online room description by emailing Work-Life at worklife@mit.edu.
  • On request, provide the room key or access code to mothers wishing to use the room, together with information about how to schedule time, if necessary (bulletin board, Google calendar, etc.).
  • Adapt the User Responsibilities guidelines above as needed to reflect the specific requirements of your lactation room (e.g. contact information, scheduling instructions), and post them in the room or distribute them to users.
  • Provide an "occupied" sign for the door.
  • Ensure that the room is cleaned on a regular basis (see below), and report any cleaning or maintenance issues.
  • Ensure that the room has antibacterial spray or wipes for hand washing, and chemical sanitizer for room surfaces [Cavicide/CaviWipes XL is a good choice].
  • If desired, contact us or MIT Health for informational brochures on breastfeeding and MIT work-life programs.
  • Contact us or your department’s administrative officer or Human Resources officer with any questions you may have about your role, or for help addressing difficulties encountered by users.

Door sign

The Microsoft Word document below may be downloaded and printed to hang on the door of a lactation room. You may add text to the document if you wish (instructions, etc.).

Download the door sign for your own use:

 Door Sign

Cleaning

Daily

  • Sink, table, chair, and external pump surfaces cleaned with antibacterial wipes (Cavicide/CaviWipes XL is a good choice).
  • Trash/garbage removal.

Weekly

  • Vacuum rug or wash flooring.

Monthly

  • Vacuum and wash down vertical surfaces, e.g. window sills/vents

Nursing Mother Responsibilities

The successful operation of the lactation rooms depends on the voluntary efforts of the users. Each mother is responsible for cleaning her own accessory kit and for overall maintenance of the room. Please follow these steps to keep the room clean and to coordinate your access with others:

  • Visit MIT Campus Lactation Rooms for room locations and descriptions, as well as contact information for each of the room coordinators.
  • Contact the room coordinator to gain access (for example, to get permission through your MIT ID card, the room key, and/or an access code), the room schedule if one is in place (e.g. bulletin board, Google calendar, etc.), and any specific room guidelines.
  • Reserve your time on the schedule if necessary; observe the schedule as posted; and keep your own schedule up-to-date.
  • When using the room, place the "occupied" sign on the outside of door.
  • Wash hands with soap and water in the sink, or use a foaming ethyl alcohol hand cleaner before pumping.
  • Use a chemical sanitizer (e.g. Cavicide) to disinfect the table and external pump surfaces before and after pumping. (Caution:  Do not use Cavicide/CaviWipes XL on skin.)
  • Speak to the room coordinator when supplies (trash bags, disinfectant wipes, tissues) are running low, and alert the coordinator to any concerns (missing equipment, cleaning or maintenance issues, or difficulty scheduling).
  • Access the lactation room only for the purposes of expressing breast milk or for breastfeeding, unless the room guidelines specify other uses. (Average time required: 20-30 minutes.)
  • Leave the room clean and ready for use by the next mother.
  • Be sure to leave the door locked when you are done.

See Also

Have Questions?

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