Walmart announced it is offering a new service to central Indiana moms with the installation of a Mamava Lactation Suite – or “pod” – inside the Walmart Supercenter at 1133 N. Emerson Road in Greenwood, providing another option for breastfeeding moms. The Mamava pod is free for customers and associates to use, totally customizable and is one of the many upgrades to this newly remodeled Walmart store.
“There is nothing else like the Mamava pod. We strongly believe in what Mamava is doing to support moms and the experience the pods help create,” said Julie Murphy, executive vice president of People for Walmart U.S. “We are very excited to provide this for moms who work and shop at our stores.”
Mamava pods are freestanding spaces that provide a clean, comfortable and private option to breastfeed or pump. The pods are accessed through the Mamava app, which guides mom to a pod’s location, opens the pod with the touch of a button and allows mom to customize lighting and airflow, leave digital notes of encouragement for other moms and listen to soothing sounds. Walmart is the first retailer to install Mamava pods in a store setting and is the first Mamava pod to go into any Walmart in Indiana. The company plans to install a Mamava pod in more than 100 Walmart Supercenters throughout the country by the end of 2020.
“We started Mamava to ensure that every breastfeeding mother could choose whether or not to breastfeed, so we set out to remove all barriers to making that choice,” says Sascha Mayer, Mamava’s CEO and co-founder. “Walmart’s commitment to supporting breastfeeding associates and community members with Mamava pods is a huge leap forward for inclusivity and normalizing breastfeeding culture.”
A recent survey by Mamava and Medela found that COVID-19 has made moms even more committed to breastfeeding, in part for its immunological benefits. As an essential business, and a member of the central Indiana community, Walmart understands the role it plays in providing customers with food, medicine and other essential items during this unique time. The addition of the Mamava is one more way the company is supporting its associates and customers and adds to the extensive measures Walmart has put in place in stores around the country this year in response to the impact of COVID-19.
“Making shopping easy and accessible for new moms is always going to be a priority in our stores,” said Greenwood Walmart Store Manager John Frangello. “As we continue to remodel stores across the country, you can expect us to take instruction from the needs of our customers as we innovate and improve the way families shop.”
The Mamava pod is one part of the Greenwood store’s just completed store remodel. Other store upgrades include the addition of the Online Grocery Pickup service, a Pickup Tower for online orders, newly polished floors, renovated restrooms, newly designed liquor shop, apparel department and tool shop and an upgraded breakroom for associates.
