Amtrak offers lactation suites for nursing mothers

Amtrak Opens Mamava Lactation Suite at Chicago Union Station; New option for moms at Midwest’s busiest rail hub

Amtrak is proud to introduce a lactation suite to accommodate nursing mothers at its Chicago Union Station on Monday, June 18. This is one of five major Amtrak stations to have this amenity, with the other four open now or coming soon to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York-Penn Station.

Up to 56 Amtrak trains come and go from Chicago Union Station every day, with more than 3,000,000 Amtrak customers using the station annually. Six of Metra’s 11 routes operate into and out of the station, with nearly 130,000 Metra passengers passing through the station on an average weekday and more than 42,000 each weekend.

Amtrak offers lactation suites for nursing mothers, June 18, 2018. Photo courtesy of Amtrak

Designed and fabricated by Mamava, the lactation suite is a self-contained pod with comfortable benches, a fold-down table, an electrical outlet for plugging in a breast pump and a door that can be locked for privacy. The 5-foot by 9-foot, ADA-compliant pod is designed for individual use, but can fit more than one person, as well as mothers with babies and other children in tow.

Nursing mothers can also breastfeed and express breast milk while on-board trains or while visiting Amtrak stations without using the lactation suite. Amtrak understands the need to provide dedicated facilities, amenities and services for both customers and employees, and strives daily to accommodate both groups.

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“We’re thrilled to support breastfeeding mamas at Union Station,” said Sascha Mayer, Co-founder and CEO of Mamava. “We believe that all mamas deserve a comfortable place to use a breast pump or breastfeed distraction-free—anywhere, anytime. Mamava pods provide flexibility for facilities and easy access for moms.”

About Mamava

Mamava, based in Burlington, VT, is the expert in lactation space design that created the suites. Mamava is women-owned, made in America, and a proud member of the B Corp community. There are now more than 450 Mamava Suites around the US in public and private spaces. The Mamava app, free for iOS and Android, helps moms find pumping and breastfeeding friendly locations on-the-go. Please visit www.mamava.com.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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"I write about three topics, the Middle East, politics and life in general. I often take my life experiences and offer them in an entertaining way to readers, and I take on the toughest topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict and don't pull any punches about what I feel is fair. But, my priority is always about writing the good story."

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His columns are archived here. Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.