Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks and Signs Legislation Requiring Lactation Rooms be Made Available at a Number of Locations That Serve Members of the Public

August 11, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning – I guess it’s good afternoon.

Hello, everybody. Welcome to this joyous occasion. I want to thank all the wonderful people who are with us – they are parents, they are activists, and community leaders. And we especially want to thank the babies. Let’s thank the babies for being here.

[Applause]

So, something very important happened right here in this building. Last year something noteworthy, something that changed New York City – and it’s finally going to get the attention it deserves. Right here in Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough President Eric Adams opened a lactation lounge, and he led the way for our city.

[Applause]

And this is how history works, my friends – someone gets the ball rolling. So, he put in a lounge. It had seats, and a fridge, and a pump, and changing table, and information on breastfeeding. It’s a whole setup, and it wasn’t meant just to be for the few people who might know about it here in Borough Hall. It was meant to be for everyone. It was meant to be for the public. It was meant to be for any woman who needed it.

This is the perfect place to sign legislation that’s going to change the lives of so many women, and so many babies, in this city. This is the perfect place because it began here. It’s the perfect time because it is Breastfeeding Awareness Month.

And today – this very day, we make some history. New York City becomes one of the first cities in the country to provide lactation rooms for any mother who needs one in New York City.

[Applause]

Now, I’m going to tell you about the legislation we’re going to sign. First is Intro. 1063-A. It requires certain City agencies to make lactation rooms available to the public. The sponsor is Councilmember Robert Cornegy at the request of Borough President Eric Adams. This legislation is close to the heart of Councilmember Cornegy for sure – father of six. Let’s give him credit for that.

[Applause]

Not for the timid.

[Laughter]

And I say that especially to his wonderful wife Michelle, who Chirlane and I have had the joy of getting to know over the last few years. Robert is a good man, a good public servant but first and foremost he’s a good husband, and he watched Michelle go through so much, and it troubled him, and it made him start to think about women all over Brooklyn, women all over the city who were struggling. He used to have to watch Michelle literally have to use a broom closet or a bathroom to breastfeed. It’s not right. It’s not fair. It’s not dignified. And he vowed to do something about it.

And I want to thank Robert and Michelle – Chirlane and I always talk about this – people go through challenges, they either bottle them up, forget about them, put them in the past or they can talk about them, act on them, get something done for other people, use their example to help others. And that’s what this great couple did. Let’s give them a round of applause.

[Applause]

And I want to thank all the advocates, all the organizations, and families who are with us today. So many people have worked for these kinds of changes. Sometimes, I’m sure they felt they were voices in the wilderness – well, your voices are being heard today, and now there’s going to be a law to protect the women of our city.

Breastfeeding is, of course, a personal decision. Mothers use different methods to nourish their infants. We support all the choices that mothers make. But we also know that breastfeeding comes with real benefits, particularly health benefits such as lower rates of respiratory problems, and lower rates of ear infections in babies for the mothers. Also – benefits – lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers. There’s a lot of evidence of the good in breastfeeding.

And yet, even though it’s a part of who we are as human beings, and we know the good in it, women continue to face barriers to this natural and healthy process. What an interesting comment on our society – something that’s part of humanity from the dawn of time, something that’s healthy and good for you, and somehow it’s been stigmatized.

And women who just want to do the natural thing are put in a position where they have to struggle to do so.

So, we have to do better. All women have the protected right by law to breastfeed in public. That’s the law but if you don’t have a place that works for you, that law just wasn’t enough. Women should never be shamed for the choice they make. And this law, today, will help us to go farther to providing the respect and the embrace and the support so no woman will ever feel shame.

Now, obviously, some women would like privacy, and that’s why the choices have been so painful. If you want privacy, you really have to choose the broom closet or the bathroom – is that all that’s left to you? It shouldn’t be that way. And worse – the absence of privacy has caused women – times – some women to skip feeding and pumping sessions, and that causes problems and health complications. So, this whole situation has been backwards and today, we’re going to fix it. Today, we’re going to make life easier for moms.

And by July 1st of next year, 2017, new lactation rooms will be open city-wide – open and available.

[Applause]

And here are the rules – every room must be properly outfitted with an electrical outlet, a chair – a comfortable chair –

[Laughter]

– Nearby access to running water, and they cannot be in bathrooms.

[Applause]

You’re going to find these rooms in City health centers, in job centers, in SNAP centers – food stamp centers – and many other locations. Department of Health will make a full list of public spaces with lactation rooms available on their website. Dr. Bassett will only be too happy to tell the people of New York City where they can find these lactation rooms.

And I want you to hear from some of my colleagues but I want to sum it up this way. Our vision – and it’s certainly shared by the Borough President, shared by the Councilman – is to make life easier for families. It’s just as simple as that – to look at the modern family, to look at modern life. Modern life is not particularly family-friendly. Can I get an amen?

Audience: Amen.

Mayor: We are all too busy. There are too many demands on everyone, particularly women. Life isn’t what it used to be. Modern life has a lot of good things too and advantages. But we have to recognize some of the negatives that we brought into our lives that we have to address. It’s tough to be a parent in New York City to begin with. Our job as public servants should be to lighten that burden – to think about life as it is, to think about what parents go through all the time, think about what mothers go through in particular – and just systematically address it.

So we did universal pre-K for all the children of our city to lift the burdens off of families.

[Applause]

We did paid sick leave to make sure that people who were sick could still get paid.

[Applause]

We did paid parental leave for many of our City employees.

[Applause]

Just last month, we did free feminine hygiene products in our schools, and our shelters, and our jails.

[Applause]

All of this goes together. It’s all about creating a package of changes that will uplift everyday New Yorkers and particularly recognize the challenges of parents.

My conscience has arrived.

[Applause]

Just a moment – I have to report in – I am saying everything you would wish me to say.

[Laughter]

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Is he doing it right?

Audience: Yes.

Mayor: Thank you. And Chirlane’s timing is impeccable because I was just about to say – one of the driving forces in all this work is our Commission on Gender Equity. They ask the question every day – are we really creating a more equal society? Are we really fighting for gender equality in all we do as a city? Here’s an example today – making a difference – real laws and policies that create fairness and equality.

So the bill I’m signing today will not only address the needs of mothers, and families, and particularly these very well-behaved babies, but also will further the fight for gender equality in this city and beyond. And we’re very, very proud.

I want to thank – they say success has many mothers and fathers. So I want to thank some of the great folks and acknowledge them – all of whom contributed to this effort, all who will be part of bringing it to life and making these rooms available to women all over the city.

I want to thank our ACS Commissioner Gladys Carrión – thank you so much – Administration for Children’s Services.

[Applause]

Our Social Services Commissioner, Steve Banks.

[Applause]

Our Director for the Commission on Gender Equity, Azadeh Khalili.

[Applause]

Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who played such a crucial role here.

[Applause]

And Councilmember Corey Johnson – who was the co-prime sponsor – we thank him as well.

[Applause]

And now to tell you how wonderful and healthy this is, and how she’s going to make sure everyone knows about it – Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett.

[Applause]

Dr. Mary Bassett, Commissioner, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

I really want to thank Mayor de Blasio and his legislative team for their very thoughtful work on this bill and echo the thanks to our Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the bill sponsor, Councilmember Cornegy, for their leadership and commitment to making New York City even more friendly to breast feeding. I also want to share our thanks to the Committee Chair, Council Member Cumbo.

[Inaudible] very nice to meet you.

Mayor: She’s coming up soon.

Dr. Bassett: For raising awareness and focusing attention of the City Council on the importance of breastfeeding. And of course, our host today, the Brooklyn Borough President Adams who has been leading the way in creating public spaces for women to breastfeed.

I had the chance to take a little tour of the lactation room here in this building. It is really a model for all of us.

And of course, as the Mayor said, August is the National Breastfeeding Month, so it’s an excellent time for us to be raising awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and its impact on the health of babies and mothers. The benefits for babies who are fed breast milk and for the health of their mothers are so numerous and well-documented that we don’t really need to revisit them. We recommend that babies receive breast milk only – only breast milk, exclusively breast milk – for the first six months of their life. And that they should continue breastfeeding until they’re one or as long as the baby and the mother want to continue.

I was given this by one of our staff. One of the reasons people worry about breastfeeding is that they worry about feeding the baby enough. And this little globe here is a picture of a newborn baby’s stomach. So I want to just remind all moms that this is the stomach you’re trying to fill. That’s why breast is such the perfect way to feed a baby because it’s there all the time; it’s there when the baby wants it. And this baby needs to have its little stomach re-fed frequently because too many moms begin breastfeeding and only continue for a week or a couple of weeks and stop after childbirth. And many mothers, especially low-income, black, and Latino women, have too many barriers to continuing to breastfeed their babies.

So today we are tackling one of those barriers. We are going to have lactation rooms across City agencies. My Department already has five. I’m very proud as Deputy Commissioner that I and my team worked to open the first City agency with a lactation room at the Health Department.

And we are going to continue to promote breastfeeding across communities in this city, so that women feel comfortable breastfeeding wherever they are. Supporting giving babies breast milk requires many different actions. We need education; we need breast pump distribution; we need provider and public education; we need the babies; and we need certified-trained lactation counselors, doulas; we need to work with maternity hospitals; and we will continue to work with the many partners across the city, including ensuring that we implement by the summer of next year lactation rooms across our city.

So I look forward to continuing to work with the Council and our partner agencies so that our babies can have the best start in life – one that will continue as they enter pre-K and begins with the best food – breast milk, made-to-order for your baby.

Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Now, it’s my great pleasure to bring up a man, again, who’s started so much of this [inaudible] and showed it could be done, and opened up this beautiful building, and sent a message. It became a beacon to women all over Brooklyn, all over the city that we could do things a different way, and a better way. And he is often a trendsetter, and we thank him for that – the Borough President of Brooklyn, Eric Adams.

[Applause]

[…]

Mayor: For those of you interested in American history – the Puritans would have hated Eric Adams.

[Laughter]

He just wants us all to be who we are, don’t you? God bless you, Eric. Eric, thank you, again, for your leadership and that spirit is exactly right. It’s about embracing people, and embracing their humanity, celebrating them, supporting them.

Again, Robert Cornegy, took from his own experience and Michelle’s experience, and said we have to do something differently. And I appreciate that so deeply. And Robert, you and Michelle are going to, today – not just with this but with many other things you’ve done – leave a lasting mark on our city. And we thank you.

Let’s welcome Councilmember Robert Cornegy.

[Applause]

[…]

Mayor: Meanwhile, we may have breaking news. Chirlane appears to have a baby.

[Laughter]

And, I – is there something you haven’t told me?

[Laughter]

I want to warn any mothers with babies here today that Chirlane really, really loves to hold babies, and sometimes likes to walk away with them.

[Laughter]

So, you can let her have the baby for a while.

[Laughter]

Thank you, Robert. Thank you, Michelle. I also want to say in the City Council there is so much focus, rightly, on this issue. And we have a dynamic leader of our Committee on Women’s Issues in the City Council focusing the entire City Council on the needs of women all the time. She’s also a co-prime sponsor of this legislation.

I’d like to welcome Councilmember Laurie Cumbo.

[Applause]

[…]

Mayor: Thank you so much, Laurie.

And now, it’s true that when you’re part of a relationship that is a partnership, that is a friendship, that is the center of your life – and I am so blessed to have Chirlane McCray as the center of my life. And we have this conversation all the time – what’s really happening for people and what can we do?  How do we really think about the challenges people face and the stigmas? Laurie Cumbo just spoke so powerfully about it.

Well the good news is Chirlane is not only a change agent, she is a stigma slayer, and a taboo killer. She – wherever she sees something that stands in the way and something that makes people feel bad about themselves, she goes right at it. And certainly true of the amazing work she’s doing on mental health. And let’s thank her for that.

[Applause]

But, as I said, when I went home and talked to her about the feminine hygiene products in the schools – she was like we’re doing that right away. And this certainly is lactation rooms as well. She believed this was a right-now thing, and we had to get to work on it right now to help the women of this city. So I’d now like to welcome our First Lady and her new friend – our First Lady Chirlane McCray.

[Applause]

You want us to turn the pages for you? Or do you want to give the baby to me?

[Cheers]

Thank you, honey.

First Lady McCray: I just wanted to make you still had it.

Mayor: This would happen in real life – she’d say – go change him.

First Lady McCray: It’s time to eat. I think it’s actually time to breastfeed.

I want to thank Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams for inviting us here today to the heart of our home borough. What a joyful, joyful moment this is. I am so happy that we’re taking such a giant step forward for mothers and babies throughout our city.

As a society, we talk a big game about how much we value motherhood, but too often that’s all we do is talk – we don’t back up our words with action. And let me tell you something – busy moms don’t have time for empty rhetoric. What our mothers need, especially our new mothers, is support and help in overcoming their toughest challenges. And for mothers who are traveling about the city, or working outside of the home, those few challenges are fewer than – are tougher than breastfeeding.

And I do speak from experience. I breastfed both Chiara and Dante and that was one of the best decisions I ever made.

[Applause]

But let me tell you – it was not always easy. We’re going back to 1994 here. I remember one adventure in particular that took place just a few months after Chiara was born, after I returned to my full-time job. There were rarely any empty offices where I was, so that meant I had to pump in a tiny bathroom stall, which was stressful, and awkward, and inconvenient, and far from ideal. The moment that nearly brought me to tears didn’t actually happen in the office. It happened on the subway when I was riding home from work one day. Like so many working moms, I had a thousand things on my mind. And when I got to my subway stop, I pulled my pocketbook over my shoulder and I got off the train. And it totally slipped my mind that I had another bag with me – special bag with my pump, and my milk that I had wrapped in a special cooling wrap to keep it cold – I left it on the subway. And when I realized that the train was rolling away with my, for me, expensive pump – right? – and my milk. I totally flipped out. I was so upset with myself. I couldn’t believe that I left my baby’s dinner on the subway train. And my friends, I’m very pleased to say that somehow my husband got in touch with the MTA and they somehow found this bag for me. And while I couldn’t save the milk because it had gotten warm, I did get the pump back. You see miracles do happen.

[Laughter]

But I’ll never forget those moments of panic. I’ll never forget the stress of pumping in that tiny – in the little bathroom stall – how hard that was and the excuses I had to make because it’s so – it’s uncomfortable. And you can’t really – your milk doesn’t flow properly if you’re not relaxed. So the stress that can build up when you’re working and don’t have the lactation support you need is really incredible. But it was all worth it to me.

Breastfeeding, as you’ve heard and as you know, has many health benefits for both the mothers and the babies. And it can also bring profound emotional rewards. But for too many New Yorkers, breastfeeding is just way harder than it needs to be – still. And that has to change because it is a natural, normal human function. And you just wouldn’t know it for all the obstacles mothers are forced to work around and for all the judgments they face.

So today, with the signing of this legislation, the City is making life a little easier for New York City mothers who choose to breastfeed. And we’re chipping away at that embarrassment that still surrounds a practice that is literally as old as humanity itself.

So on behalf of mothers everywhere, I am tremendously grateful to everyone who helped us achieve this victory. And I am fiercely committed to working with you to making our city, our entire city, more lactation-friendly.

Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Well done. That is one mellow baby. Well done, Sadye.

Okay, a few words in Spanish. Thank you, my dear. And now in Español.

[Mayor de Blasio Speaks in Spanish]

And we will now sign this wonderful legislation and then we will take questions about this legislation from the media. So, who wants to make this law? Who is ready?

[Applause]

[Mayor de Blasio Signs Intro. 1063-A]

This bill is now law.

[Applause]

We now want to see if the media has any questions about this legislation. Andrew.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Yes. I think you are – you are asking for the voice of the people, and I commend you. Would any of the mothers here like to speak about what this means to them personally?

Unknown: Greetings.

[Applause]

So this – I have five children of my own.

[Applause]

And having a fresh two-month-old, this means a lot. I recently was in Target, and sat down, and, you know, she was getting cranky, and I breastfed my child. And it felt good to know that I could breastfeed anywhere I chose to. I’m also a doula and an advocate for mothers and safe spaces for them to be able to birth their children and also be able to breastfeed their children. And working with the Breastfeeding Empowerment Zone, working with Councilman Cornegy, and being able to have spaces where moms can breastfeed their children in a way that is safe, it is comforting, and it allows us to – just to know that breastfeeding is being more normalized especially within communities of color where, you know, there’s a lot of stigma around breastfeeding.

So, I thank you. I’m very excited about this bill, and look forward to being able to share with our moms the ability to breastfeed anywhere you want, and to have those safe spaces available for us. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: I am going to arbitrarily ask for two more mothers. Come forward. Here is one – we’re going to have one more.

Unknown: Hi. This is my third child that I’m carrying. Four years ago, I had my son. I work at a non-profit agency and my boss was very nice to let me go in the back room and pump breast milk. And that’s how I used to supply the milk for my baby. But now with this bill being passed, I’m super excited that now we can comfortably breastfeed out in public. And, like, I would go to weddings and I would have to drag a chair, and go in the restroom, and sit, and then cover yourself and feed the baby. But now, I’m happy to see this movement, and so many more mothers to come will benefit from it. It shows that people could come together and make a change. Thank you.

Mayor: Thank you. Who else? One more, step forward. One more. One more. Who will step forward? Sadye, you want to do this? Sadye Campoamor.

Sadye Campoamor: Good afternoon, everybody. So, the last time I was here with the Mayor and the First Lady was when we were talking about Paid Parental Leave. So, four months later, here we are.

[Applause]

And it’s changed our lives to be able to spend that time with the baby. But going back to work, being able to think about continuing to exclusively breastfeed my son, and to have a comfortable place to do so. And even, look, today I was nervous. I’m schlepping, I’m a mother, I got a stroller, I’ve never done this before. And I worried, was he going to get cranky because I couldn’t feed him. And the truth is, is hearing that there’s a room here actually makes me feel relieved because that’s where we’ll be after this press conference.

[Laughter]

So, I just really appreciate the humanity that this bill has behind it. And everything – everybody here is doing for the city. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Thank you. Well done. Well done.

Alright, yes sir.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Louder.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Can’t hear you – try again.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Come on over. Since you can hear the question, you answer it.

Dr. Bassett: The question was – how many lactation rooms will be available around the city? So, I can speak right now to the Health Department. We have five, right now, and we’re going to be adding an additional six in the coming year. And additionally, our department has the responsibility of making the list that will allow women to look and see every lactation room available in the city, and posting it on our website. So, we will do that.

Question: [Inaudible]

Dr. Bassett: Open and close.

Mayor: Hours, hours.

Dr. Bassett: Oh, these are during working hours of the Health Department. And the women who ask to use them – I can tell you – we have five, right now, and the women who ask to use it are given the code to the room, so that they can enter it at any time. The room has very minimal requirements. There needs to be an electrical outlet, there needs to be a comfortable chair, a place for water nearby, and a flat surface that you can use as a changing area for the baby. And that’s it. The real goal here is to give women the opportunity to have privacy to either breastfeed their baby or, as you heard, we expect many women will use these lactation rooms to pump milk that they’ll save to feed their baby later.

Mayor: Thank you. And HRA – I don’t know if Steve Banks is still here. He’s still here? You’re representing Steve.

HRA is going to have dozens of their centers that will have lactation rooms as well.

Okay, any other questions from media – from media on this. No? Okay, media questions on this going once, twice – congratulations, everyone. Thank you.

[Applause]