My husband and I are both attorneys practicing in Tampa.  We welcomed our first child, a little girl named Aurora, or Rory as we call her, this past November.  Rory is six months old today, and before when I went back to work in March, I worried constantly about how I would be able to continue nursing when I was away from her during the week.  I researched breast pumps and nursing bras, bought a ridiculously large fridge for my office, storage bags, and every other part that constantly bewildered my husband.  I remember shopping on Amazon for a pumping bra for work.  The image on the advertisement showed a super thin woman (with abs no less) using the pumping bra, standing at her laptop in her ridiculously clean kitchen, smiling.  Smiling.  As if pumping is somehow a fun and enjoyable thing to do.  And as if a very new mother has a clean kitchen and abs.  There was not one accurate thing about that image.  Except the bra works pretty well.

Any woman who has nursed a child has dealt with her fair share of gross places in which she had to pump or nurse.  When Rory was only a week old, one of my best friends got married at the courthouse.  Because newborns eat constantly, there was no option to leave her at home.  So when she got hungry, we had to go to the bathroom.  Disgusting, I know, but believe me, I guarantee I was not the first woman to nurse or pump in that bathroom.  Best case, female attorneys working at the courthouse have to ask the judge in front of opposing counsel and their clients if there is a room available.  Worst case, they use a bathroom or even their cars.  Can you imagine pumping in your car when someone walks up to the car next to you and looks in at you? I can because it has happened and it is awkward.

Going back to work as a new mom is hard enough.  We leave our babies, usually earlier than we are ready, our bodies still not quite our own.  We want to have it all and find the ever-elusive work-life “balance.”  We want to be great attorneys who work hard for our clients, while also being amazing moms and wives.  Being a working mom is challenging enough as it is.  And for those who nurse their babies, there is an added layer of stress.  But I know I for one do not want the fact that I am nursing to take away from my perceived abilities as an attorney.  When I am at work, I don’t want to make it known that I am nursing or in need of an accommodation.  I wouldn’t want to have to ask a judge in front of others for a place to go.  And thanks to two young lawyers in Hillsborough County, I won’t have to worry about that again when I’m practicing in Tampa.

Lyndsey Siara and Nicole Gehringer are staff attorneys at the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.  Nicole was pregnant and Lyndsey had recently finished pumping at work when the two women read an article in the Florida Bar News about the opening of a lactation room in the Miami-Dade Courthouse.  Inspired by the work of Miami-Dade and understanding first-hand the challenges new moms face as they go back to work, Lyndsey and Nicole knew they wanted to do something to help other women in Hillsborough County.  They decided they would advocate for lactation rooms in the courthouse.  After receiving the ok from their direct boss, the two women took their idea to the trial court administrator.  With the help of the administrator, Lyndsey and Nicole spent the next six months acting as project managers overseeing the creation of the lactation rooms in the Hillsborough County Courthouse.  The two women were pleasantly surprised by how incredibly receptive everyone at the courthouse was to the idea, noting that several judges were their greatest supporters.  They identified two rooms, one in the main courthouse building and the other in the criminal annex.  They helped pick out furniture, designed signage for the courthouse and usage guidelines for the rooms, and educated courthouse staff about the purpose and availability of these rooms.  A unique aspect of the lactation rooms at the Hillsborough County Courthouse is they are open to everyone, not just attorneys.  To use the rooms, women must simply provide identification to request a key from the information desk in either building, and then they are free to use the comfortable and private spaces.  By logging visitors, the courthouse will be able to track how many women use the rooms and whether they are from a court agency or the public.

Lyndsey and Nicole were able to see their hard work pay off when the courthouse hosted an unveiling of the lactation rooms on May 12, 2017, in celebration of Mother’s Day.  In doing so, the Thirteenth Circuit joins a very small contingent of courthouses throughout Florida that offer such an amenity.   In just the first day of being open, three women made use of the rooms, showing that such an amenity was needed.  Thanks to Lyndsey and Nicole and the countless judges and staff of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, no woman will have to pump or nurse in a bathroom at the George Edgecomb Courthouse again.  Nor will an attorney have to make it known she is in need of an accommodation.  Instead, the “breastrooms” as some of my “punny” friends would say, will provide a comfortable and private space where women can relax while they nurse or pump for years to come.  Kudos to Lyndsey, Nicole, and everyone at the Thirteenth Circuit who made these rooms a reality.

If your courthouse doesn’t have a lactation room yet, ask someone how you can help make it happen.  “The rooms don’t have to be impeccably designed.  In fact, our rooms aren’t even identical, but the important part is that we have designated, clean spaces for moms to nurse or pump in private,” said Nicole Gehringer and Lyndsey Siara.  If there’s an empty room, there’s a way.  Reach out to your local FAWL chapter and see if its members can help.  Regardless of whether you are a nursing mom or not, realizing the importance of helping new moms transition back to work is something we can all agree on, because no woman should have to pump in a courthouse bathroom.

Alex H. Palermo is an associate at Burr & Forman LLP in Tampa, Florida practicing in the areas of business, employment and insurance litigation.  She graduated from the Florida State University College of Law in 2012.  Alex is a Thirteenth Circuit Representative on The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, a Director for the Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and a Director for the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers.  Within Burr & Forman, Alex also serves on the Burr Women and Business Steering Committee.