GME Trainee Breastfeeding Resources
Akron Children’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) is committed to supporting our lactating residents and fellows both from our institution, as well as outside institutions as they rotate at our facilities.
It is our goal to ensure that you have access to appropriate facilities, sufficient time for lactation, and that we foster a supportive workplace culture that supports and encourages breastfeeding mothers. You can refer to our Lactation Policy for more complete details.
If you are able, you should work with GME prior to returning from leave to develop a plan for lactation accommodations. We understand that each trainee will have specific, anticipated needs for lactation accommodations, and we want to work together to help you achieve your breastfeeding goals. It is understood that variable time and frequency is needed for each lactating individual and flexibility will be necessary. Our goal is to allow you to have this flexibility and to feel free of adverse comments, pressure, assignments, or retribution.
Please view our Workplace Lactation Policy and and GME Lactation Policy.
You may be excused from conferences, didactics, or clinical training without negative consequence for lactation. Do your best to not miss rounds and didactics routinely to not affect your education. You may scrub out of a sterile procedures/operation to lactate or you may remain in the procedure/operation and utilize an FDA-approved wearable breast pump; the decision is entirely up to you. Keep in mind that it is your responsibility to ensure that patient safety is not compromised. This includes not leaving the bedside of an unstable patient if there is no other physician caring for that patient or not leaving the operating room during a critical portion of the procedure. You can negate this by identifying individuals to cover for you during lactation.
It is best if you sit down with the Chief residents when you come back to plan the best times to pump for each rotation. You are welcome to use this templated letter of support to provide to any rotation director.
We understand the importance of expressing and properly storing breastmilk and the difficulties that can arise as a medical trainee when trying to meet your breastfeeding goals. Regular expression of milk by breastfeeding mothers helps to maintain supply, avoid discomfort, and other health issues including mastitis. Clean and private areas have been designated for breastfeeding; these areas were chosen with proximity to your clinical duties in mind. If a designated lactation room is not available at your clinical site, we can work to identify a temporary location. These designated breastfeeding areas are not meant to restrict you only to these areas. Per state law, trainees may express breast milk in any private or public location.
Please see sheet with Facility Locations (you can get a Medela pump kit through MedEd).
Please do your best to leave lactation room/equipment/fridges as clean as they were when you found them. Please notify Environmental Services or Dr. Ben-Zion if any maintenance is needed.
Coordinator: Dr. Ben-Zion
Useful Phone Numbers:
Outpatient Lactation Office: 330-543-4531
NICU Lactation Office: 330-543-8246
Lactation Specialist:
Liz Maseth, lactation specialist, is an excellent resource should you need assistance: emaseth@akronchildrens.org
