New support for nursing mothers
As a new mother, Houghton Library cataloger Christina Linklater knew how important breastfeeding is to mothers’ and infants’ health. But as she prepared to return to work, she wondered where she would be able to express milk. She didn’t have a private office, and the closest lactation room was a 15-minute walk. So she contacted Anna Anctil of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Human Resources and asked whether a new lactation room could be created right in Harvard Yard. “I saw a new lactation room as a small but real thing I could do to soften the experience of leaving an infant to come back to work — for myself and other new moms,” said Linklater. Anctil took on the task of finding space. “I felt it was important to respond to the needs of new mothers,” she said. “I wanted to find space that would provide them with a comfortable,...