Work & Mother partners with Nest Collaborative to provide virtual lactation consultations for working mothers

HOUSTON and FARMINGTON, Conn., Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Work & Mother Services, Inc. (Work & Mother), a full-service lactation suite with an associated support app, and Nest Collaborative, the nation's first and largest virtual lactation consultation platform, announced a partnership to guide parents through the breastfeeding and parenting journey by providing telehealth access to Nest Collaborative's nationwide network of International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs).

According to the 2021 Maternity Leave Experience Report by Moms at Work, a professional association for working mothers, 95 percent of women reported that they received no formal support during their transition to and from parental leave. Another 40 percent of mothers surveyed considered quitting when they went back to their jobs.

The partnership between Work & Mother and Nest Collaborative will make it easier for parents to return to work after childbirth by providing them access to Nest Collaborative's IBCLCs through the app associated with Work & Mother's office lactation suites. The collaboration is expected to encourage optimal performance and greater retention among the fastest-growing segment of the nation's workforce.

The groundswell around parental offerings is leading employers to seek office spaces that support their efforts to attract and retain talent. Work & Mother provides a turn-key commercial lactation suite amenity with an associated app and resource center called the HUB, built to support working parents, who make up one-third of the female workforce. This new amenity for commercial buildings makes it easy for employers to outsource their mothers room, satisfying legal obligations while providing a higher quality facility and a much better way to support their employees.

With Work & Mother, employees can book private rooms within the lactation suite via the Work & Mother app. Each private room is equipped with a hospital-grade pump, milk storage bags, sanitizing wipes, and other supplies while the full Work & Mother Suite lounge area includes cleaning stations and refrigerated milk storage. In addition, Work & Mother's HUB puts a network of health and wellness experts, like Nest Collaborative's IBCLCs, right at parents' fingertips.

Nest Collaborative provides virtual support and evidence-based resources that address common concerns among working parents ranging from prenatal planning for breastfeeding to balancing life with breastfeeding and pumping tutorials. Nest Collaborative's IBCLCs are available for same-day appointments in all 50 states and 11 languages, without a copay, out-of-pocket costs, or deductibles for any families with any active insurance or Medicaid coverage. Now, families will be able to quickly book appointments and have direct access to Nest Collaborative IBCLCs, right through the Work & Mother HUB.

"We're excited to partner with Nest Collaborative and further expand access to premium lactation support services for Work & Mother Suite users and their employers. It's important to understand that while breastfeeding is natural, that doesn't mean it's necessarily easy or intuitive, so it's extremely crucial that we provide resources for every parent," said Abbey Donnell, Founder and CEO of Work & Mother.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusively breastfeeding newborns for at least six months, yet working parents face many barriers to successful long-term breastfeeding, from a lack of prenatal education to a lack of employer support for pumping in the workplace," said Judith Nowlin, CEO of Nest Collaborative. "We're excited to collaborate with Work & Mother to help solve these problems for working parents and, in the process, enhance workforce loyalty for participating employers."

Nest's team of highly skilled IBCLCs, considered the gold standard in lactation care, work with families to meet their breastfeeding goals and resolve any concerns that may arise. The flexibility and accessibility of this service is key in achieving a positive work-life balance.    

"We are confident that our partnership with Nest Collaborative will have a measurable impact on the breastfeeding success rates of parents who work outside the home," Donnell said. "I'm looking forward to broadening our ability to support working parents at any time, anywhere."

Work & Mother is a full-service lactation suite amenity and associated app to support working parents. This new commercial building amenity makes it easy for tenants to outsource their mother's rooms, satisfying legal obligations while also providing a better way to support working moms, ultimately supporting talent retention following maternity leave for tenant employees. Work & Mother Suites have everything needed to pump, including hospital-grade equipment, cleaning and sanitizing stations, refrigeration and storage, immediate community, and much more. The Work & Mother App puts additional support resources and health and wellness experts right at moms' fingertips. By bringing professional lactation suites to the commercial office space, Work & Mother is fundamentally changing the landscape for working mothers, enabling them to succeed in both of their roles.

For additional information on Work & Mother, visit workandmother.com, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Nest Collaborative, Farmington, CT, is the creator of the nation's first virtual lactation platform. The company's nationwide network of lactation consultants is available to families for same-day virtual consults, meaning more parents and their health providers have access to the help that creates successful breastfeeding journeys. Nest Collaborative was recognized by Verywell Family as the Best Online Lactation Consultant of 2021 and 2022, beating out competitors by offering insurance-covered appointments, same-day availability, and group sessions through their offering of Latch Lounge. For more information, visit www.nestcollaborative.com.

Contacts:

Mia Humphreys 
[email protected]

Michelle Hillman 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Work & Mother