The Crookston Sports Center (CSC) has recently upgraded an old storage room into an inviting, private space for breastfeeding families. The designated lactation room is a private, comfortable space with a rocking chair, table, electrical outlets, and changing table located near the bathrooms. The Polk County Public Health staff and City Council members held an opening event at the Sports Center inviting community members to celebrate the room’s completion and thank everyone that contributed to its completion. “We are excited to be working with the City of Crookston and our partners as part of the Polk County Breastfeeder Coalition. And not only for making this room but also the culture to normalize breastfeeding and to create positive norms about people feeling free to feed their baby when it’s convenient in a place that feels good to them, whether that’s in the public or in a private space if they happen to be visiting the Crookston Sports Center,” said Public Health Director Sarah Reese.
The event took place next to the room near the concessions stand behind the press box on the second floor of the CSC at 9:00 a.m. People were allowed to go into the room to see its features with a table of coffee, juice, fruit, and muffins nearby for people to enjoy. International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and Polk County Public Health Staff member, Tammy Conn was very pleased with the results of the room and the event. “Honestly, I’m just happy that people stopped by because it is a very big celebration and we want to make this room accessible and available right now! It’s a beautiful room and people should stop by and look at it,” said Conn.
The prevalence of designated lactation spaces in public places for pumping and breastfeeding has been growing in recent years, including in workplaces, schools, airports, federal buildings, and community centers. The Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, which includes breastfeeding as a healthy eating strategy, and Polk County Public Health (PCPH) staff assisted in furnishings for the breastfeeding room. Tammy Conn, shared, “We were delighted to assist in offering comfort for families that use this room; having a distraction-free, private, clean space is ideal at a community location. Local and visiting families will appreciate having a choice with the understanding that breastfeeding can happen anytime, anywhere.”
Mothers are welcome to nurse anywhere and anytime at the CSC, protected by the Anytime, Anywhere Minnesota Breastfeeding Statute. Offering a designated breastfeeding space is one thing community spaces can do to help breastfeeding mothers reach their breastfeeding goals. City Administrator, Amy Finch went into the inspiration and process behind the creation of the room, “At a dinner one evening, some ladies were visiting about the uncomfortableness recent mothers had with breastfeeding in some of our seating and lack of private areas in the arena. That led us to conversations working with our partners at Polk County to walk around the arena and see where would be a good location that’s accessible and visible to most people, whether they’re going to the Main Event Arena or through to the Blue or Gold Arenas or at the Concessions Stand,” said Finch, “And one thing I discovered through conversation is that there is a bit of discomfort around the conversation. Men are not as used to talking about this, and some women aren’t either. So as we were working with staff, we tried to make it where we can accommodate everyone, where it’ll be comfortable, there’s a changing room, it’s close to bathrooms, it has a lock on the inside, and it has access to electricity. Those are all things we considered as we were developing how this could look and where it could be. It should be a nice quiet place for someone to go step away and have that time away they need with their infant or family. We want people to be aware of it and feel comfortable directing people and helping us spread the word so that our own community members and visitors to our Sports Center know it’s here and available for them to use,”
Any family that needs a distraction-free space is invited to use this designated room. It is located near the concessions behind the press box on the second floor of the CSC. It will be available to use during community and sporting events during regular hours of operation.
