The room at the Catalunya campus makes it possible for women to continue breastfeeding when they return to work after maternity leave

Mothers are advised to exclusively breastfeed their child until six months of age, eight weeks after the end of maternity leave. Likewise, breastfeeding after this initial six-month period benefits the baby, the mother and society because among other things, it reduces the risk of numerous diseases.

Returning to work often makes it difficult to continue breastfeeding, which is why the URV has opened a lactation room with all the equipment mothers require to extract milk or breastfeed their child. This is a pilot project at the Catalunya campus, and may be extended to other locations if there is demand and the room is used.

In fact, from 2020 to the present, 32 women members of the management, administration and services staff (PTGAS) have had maternity leave at the URV on 37 occasions, and 115 members of the teaching and research staff (PDI) – 76 of whom are adjunct lecturers – on 119 occasions.

As from now, those mothers who return to work at the Catalunya Campus have a room with a reclining chair and two armchairs, sockets, fridge, coffee table, fan and heating. It is located at the entrance to the first floor of the D2 building and privacy from the corridor and the street is guaranteed.

Having a room such as this “can make the difference between mothers taking more months of leave, without pay, or returning to work without having to wean their child”, explains Cilia Willem, the director of the Equality Unit responsible for implementing the measure put forward by the Commission for Equality, Diversity and Welfare.

Women who need to use the room on a one-off basis can request the card from the campus porter, and those who want to use it regularly can write to the Equality Unit (igualtat@urv.cat) and their PTGAS or PDI card will be programmed to give them access.