💡Key Takeaway:
Pumping breast milk outside the home remains challenging due to the lack of suitable spaces in public areas. However, solutions do exist—such as breastfeeding pods or nursery rooms—already implemented by some organizations. Supporting breastfeeding on the go means promoting public health, equality, and inclusion, while making cities more modern and welcoming for parents.
⏱️ Reading time: 4min30
Breastfeeding or Pumping in a Public Place in 2025 Still Involves Many Obstacles for Mothers. Between the lack of suitable spaces, intrusive stares, and the absence of comfortable and accessible solutions, breastfeeding women are still too often forced to improvise — in their car, in restrooms… And yet, several innovative initiatives are emerging to help them combine motherhood, mobility, and dignity.
This article provides an overview of the alternatives being developed in public spaces.
1. A Concrete Need, Still a Limited Offering
In a research thesis on the place of breastfeeding in public spaces (Dumas, 2024), several mothers shared their difficulties with pumping milk outside the home. Fear of judgment, the lack of dedicated spaces, and the absence of logistical support (outlets, seating, refrigerators) make this essential act complex—if not impossible.
Yet concrete solutions already exist, often driven by local, private, or hospital initiatives. In Paris, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann has set up a nursery space on the 5th floor of the shopping center: comfortable sofas, a cozy atmosphere, a changing area, and a microwave.
In hospitals, such as the Lyon University Hospital (CHU), a semi-open breastfeeding bench allows mothers to breastfeed or pump milk in decent conditions, without having to fully isolate themselves. The city’s municipality has even invested in breastfeeding-friendly facilities to be installed in various public parks (Le Progrès, July 2025). These are examples of what can be implemented with little space and a good dose of common sense.
2.Rethinking How Mothers Are Welcomed in Semi-Public Spaces
Breastfeeding is a natural and necessary practice. Yet, public infrastructure was not designed with this in mind. Integrating suitable spaces into town halls, train stations, shopping centers, festivals, or museums is now a matter of inclusion.
Some solutions, like Pachamama breastfeeding pods, are already addressing this need with a modular, secure, and ergonomic approach. Designed in collaboration with healthcare professionals, they ensure privacy, hygiene, and thermal comfort, while being easy to install.
A Promising Trial at La Vache Noire Shopping Center, in the Paris Region
Among public places taking action, La Vache Noire shopping center in Arcueil (94) welcomed a Pachamama breastfeeding pod as part of a pilot experiment.
With this pilot project, the center’s director, Adrien Olivier, offers young mothers the chance to take a break and breastfeed or pump milk in peace during a family outing at the mall.
Early feedback, collected following enthusiasm on social media, confirms the relevance of this initiative: some mothers appreciate a space that “avoids having to breastfeed in a photo booth” or that “helps their baby feel calm enough to fall asleep.” While not all mothers feel the same discomfort breastfeeding in public, the option of a dedicated space is mostly seen as an inclusive, respectful, and welcome gesture.
Other startups, like Nuvola Mom in Mexico, design futuristic modules that easily integrate into environments such as airports. These solutions show that it is possible to normalize breastfeeding and pumping in public spaces without shocking or isolating the users.
3. Toward a More Inclusive and Parent-Friendly City
Recognizing breastfeeding as a logistical need rather than a private matter is a key condition for successful welcoming policies. Local authorities, public space managers, shopping centers, and hospitals all have a major role to play in this evolution. Including a breastfeeding space from the architectural design phase or through modular solutions like mobile pods is a simple yet impactful step.
Beyond that, providing a space to pump milk is not a luxury. It’s a matter of accessibility, dignity, and public health. In short, it is a concrete lever for a more equal society.
In Conclusion
Pumping breast milk in public should no longer be an obstacle course. Whether it’s benches designed to preserve privacy, breastfeeding pods like those from Pachamama, or nursery spaces integrated into commercial venues, each example shows that solutions exist. These initiatives, whether visible or discreet, help advance the normalization of breastfeeding in public spaces. This is an essential evolution not only for mothers but also for the image of a society that truly wants to support parenthood.
Are you responsible for a public venue—such as a town hall, train station, museum, or shopping center—and interested in installing a breastfeeding pod on your site?
Join our pilot project: enjoy the free installation of a Pachamama pod for one month to test its impact with your users.
