ROCKINGHAM — Any nursing mothers coming to the upcoming NASCAR/ARCA triple-header at Rockingham Speedway will be able to breastfeed in private and comfort.
Courtesy of a grant from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health Sandhills has purchased a nursing and changing station for the track.
ICO4MCH is a statewide initiative with three primary goals: to improve birth outcomes; reduce infant mortality; and improve the health of children up to 5 years old.
Kaitlyn Franklin, ICO4MCH Sandhills program manager, said in an email that there are currently nine counties funded throughout the state, five of which are in metropolitan areas. The other four — Richmond, Scotland, Hoke and Montgomery — comprise the Sandhills Collaborative, established in 2016.
Kaitlyn Franklin opens the door to the lactation pod at Rockingham Speedway.
“The grant has been available in all of our Sandhills counties, to include Cumberland and Robeson in 2016-2020,” Franklin. “(T)his is the first time we have encountered a business that could benefit from a public lactation space but wasn't able to identify a space that met the legal criteria.”
Franklin said that while the Fair Labor Standards Act protects working mothers’ location rights while working, “those same laws set the tone for what the criteria is for a proper lactation space, to which the Mamava has … within a portable yet stationary lactation space.”
“Federal law protects women from being able to breastfeed or express in a public setting but we know that not every woman is at that comfort level and or chooses a more modest approach in their breastfeeding journey,” Franklin added. “In a world of being inclusive, we want our moms and babies included as well.”
Franklin said there was “a decent amount” left in the 2024-2025 budget that needed to be spent, which led to the idea of purchasing a Mamava lactation pod. Those pods range in price from $15,000-$25,000 each.
“...the decision was not made lightly,” Franklin said, “but with NASCAR returning to the speedway, it is a lucrative incentive and luxury for families with young children to be able to pump, nurse or change their child. It gives lactating women a private space where they feel comfortable, and a clean environment.”
Tammy McNeill, breastfeeding coordinator, recalled coming to the track in the late ‘90s for the fall race when her son was 2 months old.
“We stood in line, probably an hour and a half — I couldn’t go anywhere, I was stuck in the car and I literally had a hand pump — and I had all these people around me because you’re in three lanes — and pouring it out the window,” McNeill said.
“When I started doing this work in 1991…speaking for parents and being their advocate — especially for breastfeeding — knowing that it is not a faux pas and it should be normalized, creating this space for these families in Richmond County and surrounding counties, I think, is very important, because we see them,” McNeill added. “And I feel like I wasn’t seen. So we want to make sure we take care of our community.”
Health Director Heather Horne said the Richmond County Health Department supports ICO4MCH , adding that this is the first station in the county, but there are more to come.
“We absolutely are ecstatic that we’re able to bring this service to Richmond County citizens,” Horne said.
The 24 square-foot pod is located near the first-aid station in the main tower above the frontstretch grandstands and features a locking door with an electronic keypad to enter, which can be accessed through an app.
Inside, the pod includes: an ergonomic seat; a built-in shatterproof mirror; a shelf with two integrated outlets with USB ports; a bench; and a ventilation fan.
Franklin said there will be educational material available in the pod, which will be outfitted “with a few more incentive items so that moms feel welcome in this space.”
“We are very excited to have this breastfeeding station, and we are grateful for the Richmond County Health Department for all of their hard work and effort to make sure the facility has something this nice to offer our guests who nurse,” said Kim O’Sullivan with the track.
Pictured, from left: Joe Hutchinson; Bryan Land, county manager; Tammy McNeill; Kaitlyn Franklin; Kacie Egbert; Nancy Porter; Heather Horne, health director.
NOTE: This story has been updated to make minor spelling and title corrections. 5:30 p.m. 4-7-25
NOTE: This story has been updated to correct a typo in a quote made by the source in an email, and a misstatement by another source. 1:46 p.m. 4-8-25.
