Thanks to a Nursing Mom, Walmart Puts Breastfeeding Pods in Stores

What do you do when you’re out shopping and need to nurse your baby or pump? Well, if you’re in a participating Walmart, you can simply head over to their new breastfeeding pods being installed in stores across the country.

The pilot program came about thanks to Tenille Web, a senior business relations manager in Walmart’s global business solutions department, who travels four days a month for her job. She faces the same problem shared by so many other traveling moms—namely, trouble finding a clean, private place to pump. But during a stop at Atlanta’s airport, she discovered the Mamava pod: a freestanding lactation suite that’s been popping up in airports and Amtrak train stations across the country.

Inspired, she brought the idea to her bosses at Walmart: Why not put the pods in their retail stores? They liked the idea, and thanks to the new pilot program, customers in Bentonville, Arkansas, Gilbert, Arizona, and Williston, Vermont can now find the pods in their local stores. Walmart is the very first retailer to use them.

Webb is thrilled with the results of her pitch. “To hear moms in all the cities that we have this pilot going tell us, ‘I’m so happy this is here. I’m so grateful,’ it’s incredibly fulfilling,” she told Good Morning America. “It’s probably in the top three things that I’ve done and have been able to be part of in my life.”

The Mamava pods—created by two breastfeeding moms who founded their company in 2013—are free to use and available for employees as well as shoppers, offering a safe and private space for nursing or pumping. Each pod includes two benches, a fold-down table, a mirror, an outlet and USB port and air conditioning. The company has an app you can use to find the nearest breastfeeding pod when you’re on-the-go, and control things like the lights and airflow while you’re there. Walmart is asking customers in its pilot program to send feedback through the app so they can make a decision about whether to add the pods to more locations.

Sascha Mayer, co-founder and CEO of Mamava, said in a statement to GMA that she hopes they can eventually roll the pods out nationally “so that mothers will be able to find a comfortable place to pump or breastfeed in every community.”

We hope so too.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.