BOSTON -- In the hectic life of a new mom also working a full-time job, Andrea Jackson treasures the 15 minutes of peace and quiet she has twice a day in the mother's room at Lowell General Hospital.
It's a place where she can relax and think about her 4-month-old son Nicholas without hearing his cries, without phones ringing, and without people coming in and out of her office.
The room is available in a private, sanitary setting for Lowell General employees who choose to continue breast-feeding after they return to work.
It's been a blessing for Jackson, the assistant coordinator of the hospital's volunteer department, who returned one month ago from a three-month maternity leave.
“I love going to that room,'' she said. “Going back to work is tough enough and this reminds me of the baby back home. The support here is so wonderful.''
If Jackson didn't have the benefit of a private room, she's not sure whether she would've continued breast-feeding.
“I can see if you didn't have a comfortable place that you might have to stop,'' she said.
“I know I am lucky.''
By providing a specific space for moms, Lowell General Hospital is in the minority among employers statewide, officials say. Breast-feeding advocates say Massachusetts is among the worst states in the nation when it comes to protecting nursing mothers in public and the workplace.
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