Moms Cover Airport Lactation Rooms with Messages of Encouragement: ‘What You Are Doing Is Beyond Amazing!’

We love nothing more than seeing mamas celebrating one another. So it’s no surprise that we got All The Feels when The Wing co-founder and CEO Audrey Gelman recently shared a moment of mama-to-mama encouragement. 

Audrey, who welcomed her baby boy Sidney Allen 10 weeks ago, needed to pump while traveling. Thankfully, NYC’s LaGuardia Airport is home to Mamava pods, freestanding lactation pods for moms at work and on the go. 

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Audrey Gelman Shares Messages of Encouragement to Moms She Discovered in an Airport Lactation Room

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just walked into one of those airport lactation pods in laguardia and found it was covered with post-it messages from other moms. all of a sudden i felt flooded – the intensity of new motherhood, the stress of running a business i never thought would grow this fast – and the pressure i put on myself to do it all perfectly. the notes were sappy but they were the only things i needed to read in that moment. “you are enough” “it gets better” “feel proud of yourself for what you’ve created.” those simple messages of encouragement and the recognition that so many have been through this before made me feel less alone. and the gratitude these women expressed for having a pod – a little, modest pod – in the sea of commerce and throngs of business travelers made me remember why i care so much about what i’ve created, and why it’s so important women have spaces to contain all this shit we do and feel in our lives that no one ever sees.

A post shared by Audrey Gelman (@audreygelman) on Dec 4, 2019 at 11:06am PST

What she didn’t expect to find inside was a special place of love and encouragement. 

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????????’???????? ????????????????????????????????????????????! The Mamava family is in the third trimester, and is eagerly awaiting two “babies” this month. Congratulations to Annie Ode, Mamava’s Director of Sales Operations, who’s about to be a second-time mama????! . Our second “baby” has four walls instead of two arms and legs, and looks a little different from the rest of our pod family—but is ready to continue helping mamas reach their breastfeeding goals????. Stay tuned for the big reveal later this month! #mamava #breastfeeding #pumpingmom #wereexpecting #normalizebreastfeeding #motherhooduncensored #breastmilk #secondtimemom #designsolutions #pregnancyannouncement #newborngirl #postpartum #pumping #pumpingmom #workingmoms #mompower #strengthinmotherhood #motherhoodunited #birthstory #momlife #thirdtrimester #momtobe #workingmom #breastfeedingmom #pregnancylife #bcorp #femalefounders #momstrong #babiesbabiesbabies

A post shared by Mamava (@mamava_vt) on Oct 2, 2019 at 11:48am PDT

The new mama shared the special moment on her Instagram account, highlighting sticky notes featuring messages like, “What you are doing is beyond amazing!” and “You are literally sustaining life with your incredible milk. Superhero-type stuff!” 

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me & sid

A post shared by Audrey Gelman (@audreygelman) on Nov 10, 2019 at 12:25pm PST

“Just walked into one of those airport lactation pods in LaGuardia and found it was covered with post-it messages from other moms,” she said in one caption.

“All of a sudden I felt flooded — the intensity of new motherhood, the stress of running a business I never thought would grow this fast — and the pressure I put on myself to do it all perfectly,” shared Audrey.

“The notes were sappy but they were the only things I needed to read in that moment. ‘You are enough,’ ‘It gets better,’ ‘Feel proud of yourself for what you’ve created.’ Those simple messages of encouragement and the recognition that so many have been through this before made me feel less alone,” she continued.

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I am honored to be featured on the cover of @incmagazine’s female founders issue and to be the first visibly pregnant CEO on the cover of a business magazine. It is amazing to be featured on this list alongside incredible trailblazers and friends like @shanlynm @nicolegibbonsstyle @whitney @jennifer @jenniferyael @lepitts and more. Check out @youfoundchristine’s story on @the.wing’s growth over the past three years and our future plans, which include our first conference for members + non-members, The Wing’s #StrictlyBusiness, and how we’re developing new definitions of what Wing membership will be. I am humbled by what we all go through together collectively to change the ratio – and how when we gather and support one another, we go further, faster. ???? photo by @hollyandres!

A post shared by Audrey Gelman (@audreygelman) on Sep 18, 2019 at 6:07am PDT

“The gratitude these women expressed for having a pod — a little, modest pod — in the sea of commerce and throngs of business travelers made me remember why I care so much about what I’ve created, and why it’s so important women have spaces to contain all this s— we do and feel in our lives that no one ever sees.”