Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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759. To ask the Minister for Health if the new children’s hospital will have lactation facilities for HSE employees and a lactation department; if so, if this will include mothers attending with their children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9390/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) has advised that nursing mothers will have access to lactation rooms in the Emergency Department, Outpatient and Radiology Departments and throughout the public realm concourse of the new children’s hospital. Lactation Rooms will also be provided in the Parent’s Family Accommodation Unit and the Parent’s Hostel. These single occupancy rooms will provide comfort and privacy and will include baby changing facilities. The lactation rooms will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A dedicated Lactation Room will be available for staff on Level 5 and in the Education accommodation on Level 3 of the new children’s hospital. All inpatient units will be single rooms which will make it easy for nursing mothers to feed at the bedside, and breast pumps will be available for use on request. The Critical Care and Neonatal Units will have separate Lactation Rooms should mothers wish to express milk.