Breastfeeding, particularly breast pumping, often faces societal scrutiny which can impact milk quality and infant health. Informed by personal experience and research, the study explores maternal stress’s effect on milk cortisol and infant temperament. An art installation was designed to portray the complex experiences of pumping mothers, fostering empathy and understanding. The project emphasizes maternal stress on breastfeeding and advocates for supportive environments, aiming to inspire cultural change and support for mothers in diverse roles.

Nur Amirah, an artist and mother of a 2-year-old, uses her experiences with breast pumping to inspire her latest project. As an interaction designer, she excels in environments that value iterative design and continuous learning. Her work merges personal experiences with professional expertise, reflecting her dedication to family and career, and highlights her innovative approach to creating impactful designs.

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My project, ‘Nurtured Streams,’ reflects the collective stories of working mothers who pump breast milk at work. Originally, I wanted to explore these shared experiences, but I soon realized that the most profound stories come from our own personal experiences.

While pumping, I often endured uncomfortable stares, creating a feeling of intense pressure. This stress isn’t just internal; research shows it can affect the breast milk itself, altering cortisol levels and potentially impacting an infant’s temperament.

This installation captures the dual aspects of motherhood—the nurturing embrace and the mechanical nature of breast pumping. The structure, woven with tubes filled with synthetic milk, symbolizes the biological processes of breastfeeding and the devices we use. These tubes create intricate patterns mimicking the vessels leading to the milk ducts.

To enhance the experience, the sound of a breast pump motor plays in the background, and the movement of the milk reflects the delicate process of expressing milk.

The colour of the milk also changes throughout the installation. This visual change represents the different environments I found myself in while pumping and the impact they had on the milk. In reality, stress doesn’t just alter the colour but also affects the composition, the taste of the milk, and the nutrients, among other things.

The cage structure symbolises more than just protection—it reflects the isolation and judgment I felt, as if locked away, even as I was simply trying to nurture my child. This paradox, feeling alone while surrounded by others, is a space that should embody safety and love but often does not.

This design accentuates the natural and essential role of breastfeeding, grounding the mechanical aspects of pumping in the biological reality of nourishment.

The shadow you see here, sprawling across the floor, is as integral to this installation as the structure itself. It represents the unseen weight—the societal judgment and internal pressures that shadow every mother who steps away to nourish her child. This shadow is not just a visual effect; it’s a metaphor for the hidden struggles, the silent battles fought in solitude. Just like the tangled lines of the shadow, the emotional and social complexities mothers navigate are intricate and often unnoticed. 

By incorporating this shadow into ‘Nurtured Streams,’ I aim to bring light to these overshadowed aspects of motherhood, emphasizing that what we often overlook is as telling and important as what we see.

Through ‘Nurtured Streams,’ I aim to foster empathy and awareness and to ignite discussions about creating supportive environments for mothers. This project is about empowering mothers, validating their experiences, their struggles, and their resilience.