Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Donnell.
Abbey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I came up with the concept before even having children. At the time, many of my friends were beginning to have babies and I started hearing all of these horror stories about trying to continue breastfeeding after returning to work. Moms were being told to use the bathroom, the copyroom, or the conference room, or having to pump in their cars… the whole experience sounded stressful and unbearable. I knew I wanted to have children soon and that breastfeeding was important to me, so I set out to create a better solution–for both moms and employers.
I began talking with moms and realized this was a serious pain point. The AAP and WHO both recommend moms exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, followed by supplemental feeding for up to a year or longer. However, moms are going back to work after just a few weeks (which is a whole other problem we need to address!) and they don’t have the proper facilities or support frameworks in place to succeed.
As I began talking with companies, it became apparent that they really just weren’t equipped to address such an intimate issue. And that’s when I realized that a shared space solution, where companies could outsource their mother’s rooms, was a much more logical approach–and one that gives everyone involved a better level of service.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s a totally new concept, so there’s a lot of education that goes with this. Unfortunately, Moms are often scared to advocate for themselves because they already feel judged and scrutinized for having the baby in the first place. They’re worried their boss is going to doubt their commitment. So, we’re trying to do a lot of the heavy lifting for them – talking with employers and spreading the word that this option exists. But awareness takes time, especially for B2B services.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Work & Mother – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Work & Mother is a network of fully equipped pumping facilities for working moms. We make it easy for employers to “outsource their mother’s room,” providing a solution that not only satisfies Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements but also truly supports mothers. Our facilities have everything a woman needs to pump during the workday, including hospital-grade pumps and accessories, cleaning and sanitizing stations, refrigeration and storage options. We even have work stations equipped with pumps so women can continue working with hands-free pumping if they choose to. In addition to the facilities, Work & Mother provides support resources and programming to aid mothers during this transitional time.
I’ve had moms reaching out to me thanking me for doing this because their experience was so horrible or their work basically forced them to stop pumping before they were ready, a decision they still feel remorseful about. The fact that we are making a difference not only to the health of these babies but also to the moms well-being – helping them accomplish both their parental and career goals – that’s what makes me most proud and fuels me every day to keep going.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We recently announced our next location, which will be opening in Allen Center later this Spring. We are also talking with a number of buildings as we plan to expand both in Houston and beyond. We are also launching some new programming in 2020, which I’m very excited about – and the programming isn’t just limited to new or breastfeeding mothers, we’ll be covering a variety of topics that resonate with all parents trying to find work/family balance.
Contact Info:
- Website: workandmother.com
- Phone: 713-230-8962
- Email: hello@workandmother.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workandmother/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/workandmother
Image Credit:
Max Trautner, Ttweak
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