PORTLAND, Maine — About one in seven women experience postpartum depression, according to the National Institutes of Health.
For these new moms, it can be hard to find the help they need. One group is trying to change that by empowering women in an untraditional way. New mothers were invited to board the 36-foot "Breast Express" bus Thursday at Allagash Brewing in Portland.
"Moms really need to feel invited to feed however they want to, wherever they want to," Amy VanHaren said.
That's the message the bus will be sharing with 15 cities across the country as it embarks on its "Feel Better, Feed Better" tour.
If you see it in your town, VanHaren and her colleagues want women to know they're welcome there.
"We see moms step on the bus carrying the weight and the stress of what they're going through," she explained.
VanHaren founded the health care company Pumpspotting. She's on a mission to build confidence around everything that comes with motherhood, especially breast feeding.
"It's about expanding the conversation, so people understand how valuable it is to create spaces that support women," she said.
One example of those spaces is a recent nursing room addition to Allagash Brewing. Pumpspotting teamed up with the brewery to help build it, and now they're celebrating its success. It's like the one the brewery built for staff, but this time for the public, and moms like Emily Wallace are part of the motive behind it.
"It can be lonely and isolating to navigate the new world of being a mom," Wallace explained. "You're getting used to life, then you return to work and you're figuring out how to pump and you're trying to get your kids to take a bottle at daycare. There are so many different transitions."
Wallace manages the front of house at Allagash and says having a quiet place for a mother and her kids can be a game changer. At least, that's what the room has been for her.
"It just signals that your needs are met, and you're seen and accepted in places," she said.
The Breast Express is on its way to spread the word to other business and locations across the country. Inside the bus is a prototype style room, described by VanHaren as "an idyllic, oasis-like space" to serve as inspiration for how to build a safe space for moms and their babies.
"There's pillows so you can position a baby, plugs so you can plug in your pumps, curtains so you can have privacy," VanHaren explained.
In addition, because moms struggle with more than just feeding, the bus provides access to health experts and products and serves as a space to connect moms with each other, so they can build relationships and long-lasting community support.
"Whatever this journey needs to look like for you, you need to know you are seen, you are supported, and you are capable," VanHaren added.
Boarding the bus can mean you're no longer alone in that journey.
"They leave the bus lighter, feeling more capable as a mother," she said.
The tour kicked off in Portland and will be making stops across the country, eventually ending in Chicago. For a full list of stops, click here.