1 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 2 0
Ideas Work
That
O
ver the past few years, a num-
ber of employees who work in
our health system's outpatient
surgery center have become new
moms. When they returned to work,
many looked for areas to pump breast
milk. Unfortunately, with limited space,
they'd been forced to use the offices of
other staff members, the staff locker
room and even bathroom stalls. This
has been a huge inconvenience for
pumping moms and our staff, so I creat-
ed a lactation space in a PACU bay
where we had been storing extra equip-
ment. I outfitted the bay with a locking
accordion door, a lounge chair, a table for storing pumping supplies,
motivational posters, scenic artwork and a small bulletin board where
moms can tack up pictures of their babies. The space can easily be
converted into a patient bay if it's needed, but that's happened only
once. I've received a great deal of positive feedback from staff mem-
bers. One mom told me she had to pump in the break room at her old
job and is very grateful for the privacy and comfort she's afforded
here.
Janelle Casanave, RN
Kaiser Permanente
San Jose, Calif.
casanave23@aol.com
LACTATION ROOM
A Private Space for Breastfeeding Moms
Janelle
Casanave,
RN
• FAMILY FRIENDLY The former PACU bay features
a comfortable chair and a bulletin board where moms
pin pictures of their new additions.