09/24/2025
Preface: I AM NOT THAT OLD!
I remember pumping and breastfeeding in bathroom stalls at many professional conferences.
Hiding near the back of the room in case the baby made a sound.
Setting alarms to make sure milk gets stored up for the next week, setting up a sanitation station in a hotel room. Begging the front desk to freeze my ice packs.
And if you’re reading this and thinking, that’s no reason to stay home…you’ve never mentally prepared yourself to engage professionally at a conference while also lugging around gallons of milk and making sure you have enough ice in your cooler to keep it safe.
A childcare room and mother’s space may seem so simple and, to some, unnecessary.
But it’s practical, progressive inclusion that makes it possible for parents of young children to engage, attend and lead.
One young person in the throes of raising babies attended American Association of Bovine Practitioners annual conference, saw this room and thought, “I can do this.” And that’s worth everything!!! Bring those babies to BP, we have a room for you!
