Rachael Holland is cradling her sleeping baby daughter Poppy in her arms. She takes a moment to look inside this new lactation pod at the MOXI Museum in Santa Barbara.
"Oh, this is nice. I love the clouds and the sun coming out. This is very nice. There's a mirror to check that you're all tucked back in. Oh, I really do like this," she said.
The white pod, which has a lock on the door and a little seat inside, is a freestanding little booth - offering a private space for parents needing to pump or nurse on the go.
Robin Gose is the President and CEO of the MOXI, the Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation. It’s a place for learning and creativity for all ages – and Gose says the pod is just one option for parents.
"This is a private place where a parent could go inside and breastfeed their baby bottle, feed their baby. You can even pump in there if you need to. There's also a place to charge your phone if you need that reset just as much as maybe your baby needs to reset too. So it's just a nice space. It's off of the museum floor so that you can have a little quiet, private time to take care of feeding your baby," said Gose.
Normalizing breastfeeding is the aim, says Gose – and the pod isn’t intended to be the only place that parents can choose to nurse in the museum.
"We encourage breastfeeding anywhere in the museum. There's no problem in sitting down anywhere that you feel comfortable. But we also know that the museum can be a loud space, and not every baby is comfortable nursing or taking a bottle in a loud space, and not every parent is comfortable doing that out in public," said Gose.
"So we wanted to provide just an extra option for the parents who come here with their kids. We saw that there was a need and a desire to have a space like this. I think the more that we can normalize feeding your baby any way that is best for you and your baby, the better," said Gose.
Holding two-month old Poppy under a muslin cloth, as she walks around, Rachael says she thinks the pod is great especially for first time moms. But she’s done this before.
"It would be nice for a first time mom who is, you know, getting used to nursing, breastfeeding the baby and wanting to be covered or, you know, have some privacy because it can be stressful when you're out and about.," said Holland.
"This is my number six, so I'm watching five others run around while I nurse. But yeah, I think that's really great," said Holland.
And she says she has valued the opportunity to breastfeed her own children.
"It's just so special knowing that that's only something I can give my baby. And just how God created our bodies is amazing. And I mean, she has everything she needs because she's with me. And it was hard with my first, you know, getting used to," she said.
"I would just encourage moms to hang in there and stick with it and get help if you need it from like a lactation specialist. It's just such a special bonding time. So I love it," said Holland.
Guests can access the lactation pod by booking it through the Mamava app or by requesting the door code at the front desk.
August is National Breastfeeding Awareness month.
