The Breast Express RV Tour Is Kicking Off in Boston

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A once hush-hush thing done behind closed doors, breastfeeding is making its way into the light of day as the normal and everyday part of life evolution always told us it was.

It’s not just moms leading the way—companies and businesses are beginning to make it easier to nurse by providing nursing rooms and resources that make the experience better for mamas and babies alike. And the tech world is noticing. Pumpspotting, a site that connects nursing mothers, already has an app, and now they’re launching a nationwide RV tour, Breast Express—bringing together women from across the nation and in the same community in a 40-foot nursing and pumping suite, to talk all things motherhood. Expect conversations about the not-so-glam but oh-so-necessary ups and down of nursing, pumping, and all the messy details in between.

The tour, which kicks off in Boston at the MIT Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon on April 27, will travel over 10,000 miles, stopping in more than 28 cities. You can visit the Breast Express on Sunday, April 29 at the MIT Media Lab from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., where moms will have access to pumping equipment, relaxing nursing chairs, water, and snacks on board the RV. The nationwide tour will provide women the opportunity to talk with other mamas and lactation consultants, try out the app, and have access to pumping resources and tips.

“We designed pumpspotting to unite breastfeeding women and to build a community of support,” Amy Van Haren, founder of pumpspotting, said in a press release. “What better way to further our goal and understand how to serve moms who nurse and pump than by bringing together different communities nationwide?”

While the RV makes its way from the east coast to the west coast, ending the tour during World Breastfeeding Week on August 8 in San Francisco, each stop will host a community-centered event through their Breast Express Event series. The event series will feature a panel discussion on an important topic to breastfeeding mothers and be free and open to the public.

During the Hackathon, and first event stop in Boston, mothers will have the chance to hear from innovators in the breastfeeding space who are focusing on equity and inclusivity in breastfeeding. The three-day event will highlight the tech, products, spaces, clothing, programs, and services that have emerged since the last Hackathon in 2014, with a focus on things that are affordable and easily accessible.

Van Haren said their hope with this cross-country trek is to spark a movement that changes the perceptions of breastfeeding and ultimately, the percentage of women who meet their breastfeeding goals.

Free, April 27, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., Cambridge. For more information on pumpspotting and the RV: pumpspotting.com. For more information on the Hackathon: makethebreastpumpnotsuck.com.

Image provided.

Image provided.