Faculty/Staff Wellness
"I have many friends who work in other places, and they have given up pumping within a few months of returning to work. They describe pumping in supply closets and lugging heavy pumps to/from meetings and work. By contrast, when I talk about breastfeeding at work, I describe leather armchairs, footstools, and hospital-grade breast pumps.
My work requires me to go to different locations on campus regularly and I have needed to use about 6 rooms on campus. The Breastfeeding Support Program has made it possible for me to achieve my one year goal to breastfeed my son. Thank you!"
-UC Berkeley Staff Member
Breastfeeding Support Program
The Breastfeeding Support Program (BFSP) is coordinated by the Wellness Program for Faculty & Staff. The BFSP serves faculty, staff, students, and their spouses/domestic partners, as well as employees at UCOP and LBNL who choose to continue breastfeeding after returning to work or school.
The BFSP program includes:
- Lactation rooms on campus with Ameda hospital-grade breast pumps
- Personal HygieniKit to use with hospital-grade pumps sold at cost
- Breastfeeding classes facilitated by a certified lactation consultant
Contact Us:
Email: breastfeeding@lists.berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail) or call at (510) 643-4646.
Registration
Please register to use any of the BFSP services (purchasing a pump, using a lactation room, etc.). Registration is FREE and allows Be Well at Work to track the use of the program.
Complete the registration form(link is external). We will get back to you with room access codes as soon as we can. If you need immediate access, please call (510) 643-4646.
Breast Pump Products
- HygieniKit® Dual Pumping Kit ($40.00, includes tax) is your personal attachment kit that may be used with the hospital-grade pump in the lactation rooms if you do not have Purely Yours or another personal pump. The kit's unique silicone diaphragm acts as a barrier to ensure milk purity by preventing contaminants from coming in contact with collected breast milk and prevents milk back-up so tubing and pump require little to no maintenance. BPA-free. Product #17155
- Includes: (2) 25.0mm breast flanges, (2) Silicone diaphragms, (2) 4 oz./120 mL bottles, (4) White valves, (2) Adapter caps, (2) Silicone tubings, (2) 2-piece lock-tight bottle caps, (1) Instructions for Use.
- Already comes sterilized and ready to use.
- Please note: payment is accepted by cash or check only. Make checks out to "UC Regents."
- Through a generous donation, we have a limited supply of HygieniKits available at no cost. Application is required. Please note: some kits require sterilization before use (boiling for 20 minutes). Click on the link to the left of this page to apply for your no-cost HygieniKit.
- SHIP benefits: breast pumps are covered 100% in-network. Here is the SHIP flyer with more information about this process.
Tips for handling breast pump tubing:
- When used correctly, breast pump tubing does not touch the pumped milk and does not need to be cleaned routinely.
- Keep a spare set of tubing on hand in case the set you are using gets soiled or damaged.
- If your tubing has water droplets in it at the end of a pumping session, disconnect the tubing from the flange/pump kit, but leave it attached to the pump. Run the pump for a few more minutes until the tubing is dry.
- If your tubing has milk or mold in it, throw it away immediately because it is difficult to clean properly. Replace it with a new set of tubing, and check to see if the problem happened because
- The valves or membranes need to be replaced.
- The tubing was attached to the pump incorrectly.
- If the outside of your tubing is soiled, wipe it with a damp cloth or disinfectant wipe.
Lactation Rooms
Most of the lactation rooms on campus(link is external) have a hospital-grade, electric breast pump for use either with the attachments from the Ameda Purely Yours Electric Breast Pump® or a personal HygieniKit®.
The HygieniKit is available to purchase from us at cost ($40). To purchase a HygieniKit, please contact the Wellness program. We encourage moms to obtain the Ameda Purely Yours Personal Pump through their health plan’s program, often provided at no cost through the Affordable Health Care Act.
To use a lactation room on campus, please complete and return the registration form(link is external). After you have registered and identified the preferred building with a lactation room, you will be provided the access code and specific directions. For the changing table map, please see the resources tab below.
Lactation rooms are located in the following buildings:
- Birge Hall - Ameda Platinum Multi-User Pump
(please allow 3-4 working days for your ID to be programmed for card key access.) - Dwinelle Hall
- Eshleman Hall
(please allow 3-4 working days for your ID to be programmed for card key access.) - Evans Hall
- Fourth Street
- Giannini Hall
- Haas School of Business
- Chiet Hall at Haas
- Moffitt Library
- Simon Hall (comfortably accommodates two moms if necessary)
- Tang Center (University Health Services)
- Wheeler Hall
In addition, several buildings on campus have lactation rooms that are reserved for occupants of those buildings. These include Berkeley Way West, California Hall, Etcheverry Hall,IGI Building, Li Ka Shing Center, RSSP, Stanley Hall, Valley Life Sciences, the College of Chemistry, Warren Hall, Soda Hall, Lewis Hall, and UC Extension at 1995 University. Please contact the building manager for access to these rooms.
Coolers
Our lactation consultant recommends a small cooler with ice packs as the most efficient, hygienic, and safe way to store milk. Parents are encouraged to bring their own, but we also have a limited amount of personal coolers available for rent to UC Berkeley faculty, staff, and students. These rentals can be signed out and renewed every 6 months. To apply for a rental, please complete this form(link is external).
Breastfeeding Your Baby Class
Breastfeeding Your Baby/Returning to Work or School
Tue 10/1| 1-4:15pm | Online
Register here!(link is external)
Speaker: Tina Benitez, IBCLC
This class is FREE to UC Berkeley faculty, staff, students, and their spouses/domestic partners.
This 3-hour class is taught by a certified lactation consultant and is broken up into two parts.
The first portion of the class, 1-3 pm, addresses breastfeeding basics and problem solving. The second portion of the class, 3:15-4:15 pm, covers returning-to-work planning and breast pumps. Those who have already attended a breastfeeding class are welcome to join the last portion of the class.
Register for the class:
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Faculty and staff - click the linked date above or register here(link is external)
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Students and all others enroll by emailing breastfeeding@lists.berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail) or calling (510) 643-4646.
Breastfeeding Policies
University Policy
- UC Policy: Accommodation for Nursing Mothers(link is external)
- UC Berkeley: Policy 84 Breastfeeding Implementation Procedures(link is external)
Affordable Care Act
Affordable Care Act - effective January 1, 2013, UC's medical plans will be providing breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling at no cost. For more information on how this measure will affect you, please contact your medical plan.
Breastfeeding Supplies Eligible for FSA Reimbursements
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The IRS has announced the cost of breast pumps and HygieniKits® can now be reimbursed through your Health Flexible Spending Account (Health FSA). UC employees can find out more about the CONEXIS Health FSA on the At Your Service(link is external) website.
Read the article from the NY Times(link is external).
California Law
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Nursing Mother's California Law(link is external) (Labor Code Section 1030-1033)
Resources & News
Campus Resources:
- Student Parent Center(link is external)
- Cal Women's Network(link is external)
- Changing Table Map(link is external)
Wellness Resources:
- Be Well at Work Workshops Flyer - Free Workshops and Resources for Faculty and Staff
- Recalibrate(link is external) - Wellness Resources for Students, Faculty, and Staff
Community Resources:
- Breastfeeding - Reference and Product Guide from Ameda
- Breastfeeding - Educational Guide from Womenshealth.gov
- Breastfeeding and Working(link is external) from Womenshealth.gov
- The Womenshealth(link is external) website from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Also provides a hotline for basic breastfeeding questions: 1-800-994-9662
- La Leche League International(link is external)
- kellymom(link is external) - Parenting and Breastfeeding Support Webpage
State Resources:
Nutritional Support for Breastfeeding:
- Mama Natural(link is external) - Lactation Cookie Recipe
News: