60 lactation pods to be set up in public spaces by Q1 2026 for breastfeeding mothers
The average time spent in a pod to pump milk, feed or recharge is around 20 minutes.
SINGAPORE – By the first quarter of 2026, nursing mothers will have access to more comfortable spaces in public to breastfeed their babies or express milk.
A total of sixty new lactation pods will be set up across Singapore in high footfall locations, such as parks, libraries, transport hubs and office campuses.
Local start-up and social enterprise Go!Mama launched the new pods on Aug 5 ahead of Singapore's 60th birthday, in partnership with Temasek Foundation and the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.
This is the start-up's most ambitious roll-out to date, and marks the crossing of the halfway point to its 300-pod goal by the end of 2026.
There are
currently close to 100 pods in the Republic by Go!Mama, which have been used by more than 20,000 mothers and caregivers.
The average time spent in a pod to pump milk, feed or recharge is around 20 minutes.
Go!Mama first launched its pods in 2021 with a trial of five pods on Sentosa.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim
Singapore Beauty industry consumers hit by 464% rise in prepayment losses in first half of 2025
Singapore 13 taken to hospital after accident involving SBS buses, car in Tampines
Singapore Singapore-made bot matchmakes strangers virtually – without profile photos
Life Urinary issues: Enlarged prostate affects half of men in their 50s and up
Singapore Elderly man charged after he allegedly molested, performed sex act on 'vulnerable' man
Singapore has made moves to improve accessibility to clean and comfortable breastfeeding spaces in recent months, with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) revising its code in February to require new buildings with a floor area larger than 5,000 sq m to provide at least one lactation room.
The existing code requires only larger buildings with a gross floor area of 10,000 sq m to have such a room.
The new code also lays out requirements for the lactation room, like the minimum size of the space and the availability of sockets and mirrors.
It should not be located within a toilet, according to the new requirements.
The revisions will take effect in November for new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major renovations.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah said at the launch of the new pods on Aug 5 that in existing buildings that are not being renovated or may face space or configuration constraints, lactation pods can make all the difference.
Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, viewing the heritage-themed pods at the Asian Civilisations Museum on Aug 5.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
The pods are a flexible option that can be easily deployed to support breastfeeding mothers and employees, and provide them with a dedicated space to nurse, she said.
'Additional lactation pods in public spaces will benefit many breastfeeding mothers. More importantly, their deployment signals the strong support and partnership from our private sector and community partners in building a Singapore made for families and in fostering a society that supports and values parenthood.'
She added: 'Women are a crucial part of out workforce, and it is important that our workplaces evolve to support them at different stages of their parental journey.'
The 60 pods to be launched will feature heritage-inspired artwork as an ode to Singapore's 60th birthday.
'The heritage-inspired artwork reflects Singapore's evolving story – one where care and inclusion are woven into our shared spaces. We wanted these pods to stand out, not hide in the background, and serve as visible reminders that supporting families is a responsibility we all share,' founder of Go!Mama Vivian Lee told The Straits Times.
The SG60 pods will be the first to feature integrated digital screens, both inside and outside. These serve as platforms that mothers and caregivers can use to receive public health content, parent-friendly information, and discover the stories of other parents.
Companies can 'adopt' a pod and have it placed inside their commercial spaces, offices, or community venues.
Brands can also partner with Go!Mama to utilise the screens for their messaging or advertisements, as long as they align with the start-up's mission.
Revenue generated through brand partnerships directly supports the continued deployment and maintenance of pods, ensuring their long-term sustainability and extended reach, Ms Lee said.
Ms Sandy Lee, 27, wanted to work after giving birth to her first child in 2016, but hesitated as she was worried about having a proper space to express milk.
She also found it difficult to spend time outside the home with her baby due to the absence of dedicated breastfeeding spaces – she had to make do with nursing in a toilet or diaper-changing room.
'A lot of places double up a diaper-changing room with a nursing room, but that does not work. Diaper-changing rooms are freely accessible, and anyone can enter, like fathers who need to attend to their child or get hot water to make milk,' she said.
'Having a good environment for mothers is important when trying to breastfeed or express milk.'
Ms Lee, who is a business development executive, had her second baby in 2024 and has been using Go!Mama pods since.
'When I share with friends about the availability of these pods now, it alleviates some of the worries they may have about having children. They know Singapore is becoming friendlier to mothers,' she said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Will China's homegrown obesity drugs reshape the global weight-loss market?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mazdutide, China's first home-grown weight-loss drug, marks a turning point in the nation's effort to combat rising obesity with local innovation. – For three weeks since mid-July, video editor Meng Meng, 38, has been injecting herself with a weekly weight-loss drug, hoping it will finally help her shed the weight she has long struggled with. Standing at 163cm tall and weighing 70kg, the mother of one from Wuhan city has a body mass index (BMI) of 26, which classifies her as overweight under China's health guidelines. Her doctor deemed her eligible for prescription weight-loss drugs and recommended that she use them for six months to a year to reach her ideal weight of 60kg. The drug she is taking is not the well-known Danish drug Ozempic but a newly approved Chinese one called mazdutide, developed by Suzhou-based biopharmaceutical firm Innovent Biologics . The Chinese company licensed the rights to mazdutide for use in Greater China from patent holder Eli Lilly, an American pharmaceutical company. 'I know of colleagues who use Ozempic but I've not considered it because it's a foreign brand,' said Meng Meng, who did not want to be identified by her full name due to privacy concerns. 'So when mazdutide became available, I thought I would try it as I trust that China's domestic drugs are reliable.' She has lost 2kg in three weeks, she said. China's first home-grown weight-loss drug, which received regulatory approval in late June, marks a turning point in the nation's effort to combat rising obesity with local innovation. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Business Singtel, StarHub shares fall after announcement of Keppel's M1 sale Singapore ST Explains: Who owns Simba, the company that is buying M1? Singapore Hyflux sought other funding sources for Tuaspring as it had problems getting bank loans: Prosecution Singapore S'pore Govt asks inactive political parties including Barisan Sosialis for proof of existence Opinion Trump's trade deals have one giant contradiction Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Backed by a nationwide anti-obesity campaign and growing research and development firepower, China's drugmakers are racing to roll out cheaper or more innovative alternatives that are poised to challenge the dominance of Western blockbusters such as Ozempic and Wegovy at home and potentially abroad. A looming patent expiry for semaglutide, the key drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, in China will open the door for Chinese drugmakers to launch biosimilar versions – or near-identical copies of the original drug – and carve out a share of the fast-growing global weight-loss market. In the battle of the bulge, Innovent's mazdutide is just the start. In China, at least 98 glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for weight loss are currently in late-stage trials, of which 52 are considered to be innovative molecules or formulations such as oral pills, unlike existing pre-filled injection pens, said Ms Helen Chen, global sector co-head for healthcare at LEK Consulting, based in Shanghai, citing an analysis done by her firm in June. Of the 98 drugs, 20 are semaglutide injections, which put them in direct competition with Ozempic and Wegovy. 'Chinese biopharmas are excellent fast followers. I would not really be surprised that there are Chinese products in the race for any hot new trend in drug development,' said Ms Chen, who is also a Greater China managing partner at the consulting firm. Already, Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has sounded the alarm. Once Europe's most valuable company worth US$650 billion (S$835 billion) in 2024, Novo on Aug 6 warned of far slower growth as copycat versions of its popular drugs enter the market. It had earlier cut its full-year sales and profit forecasts. The company's blockbuster drugs – Ozempic, approved in 2017 for type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, a higher-dose version marketed specifically for weight loss launched in 2021 – contain semaglutide, an active ingredient that mimics the natural hormone GLP-1, to regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. In recent years, they have gained global attention for their ability to help users lose considerable amounts of weight. US drugmaker Eli Lilly, which makes competing GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound – the brand names for tirzepatide, which is also used for weight loss – is likewise feeling the heat. Its next big bet is orforglipron, an experimental daily oral GLP-1 pill seen as its up-and-coming blockbuster weight-loss drug. But on Aug 7, the company's shares took a tumble after it reported less-than-stellar weight-loss results that fell below what some analysts were predicting. Come March 2026, competition will intensify even more when the patent for semaglutide in China is set to expire, years ahead of the patent's expiry in the United States in 2031, and Europe in 2033. Internal medicine physician Ni Jun from Raffles Hospital Shanghai said Chinese pharmaceutical firms may start launching generic or biosimilar versions, which would then put pressure on all companies to lower prices as patients and doctors weigh their options. For now, mazdutide, as a relatively new drug, is more expensive than Ozempic and Wegovy, but cheaper than Mounjaro. He estimated that mazdutide costs 3,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan per month compared with about 2,000 yuan for Wegovy, depending on the dosage. 'It usually takes about five to 10 years for prices of new drugs to come down. But China has a volume-based procurement system and a large number of eligible patients, so the cost may drop faster,' Dr Ni said. Dr Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at American think-tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), called mazdutide's approval as China's first domestically developed GLP-1/glucagon 'a major breakthrough', reflecting China's progress and ambition in closing the biopharma innovation gap. He noted that clinical trials have demonstrated the drug's efficacy, which 'rivals established Western treatments while offering additional metabolic advantages'. 'By reducing reliance on costly imports and enhancing affordability, it is particularly significant, given China's vast diabetes population and non-communicable disease burden,' said Dr Huang. Non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes, are chronic conditions that are not contagious. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing many of these conditions. China considers those with a BMI of 24 to 27.9 as overweight, and over 28 as obese, as Chinese and other Asian populations tend to have higher health risks at lower BMI thresholds compared with Western populations. The World Health Organisation classifies as overweight those with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, and as obese those with more than 30. China is waging a three-year war on obesity as waistlines expand and health risks rise. The country's overweight population has more than doubled since 1992 to more than 50 per cent of the population, with projections showing that two in three Chinese could be overweight by 2030. In April 2025, Beijing upgraded its nationwide weight management campaign under the Healthy China 2030 initiative, calling obesity 'a major public health threat' to Chinese people. Rapid urbanisation, high-calorie diets, sedentary lifestyles and rising stress have all contributed to the surge. Worldwide, weight loss is becoming a big business. The global obesity drug market is projected to hit US$150 billion by 2035, up from US$15 billion in 2024, according to Morgan Stanley. But China's path to becoming a global weight-loss drug powerhouse is not without barriers. For one thing, mazdutide cannot yet be sold outside of China. Innovent holds only the Greater China rights, which it licensed from Eli Lilly in 2019. The US drugmaker controls international development, which limits global expansion unless new agreements are struck. There are also regulatory hurdles abroad to overcome. Dr Daniel J. Drucker, an endocrinologist at the University of Toronto, said that while there is enormous global demand for weight-loss drugs, each region and country has very specific regulatory and commercial environments guiding drug approval. Still, he added: 'There are currently lots of opportunities for innovative Chinese science to fill the gaps in the development of new GLP-1 drugs. Let's see how this plays out.' LEK's Ms Chen said she expects Chinese pharma to go international. 'Multiple Chinese innovative GLP-1s have already been licensed by big pharma, starting with UK-based AstraZeneca's licensing of Chinese firm Eccogene's oral GLP-1 in late 2023,' said Ms Chen. Others may work on regional licensing or explore expanding into markets such as South-east Asia directly or with partners, she said. Looming over China's drug export prospects is the threat of steep US tariffs. On Aug 5, US President Donald Trump said he will soon be putting an 'initially small tariff' on pharmaceutical imports, but in one year, or a maximum of one and a half years, may raise it to 150 per cent, and then to 250 per cent to force pharmaceutical production back to American soil. Global pharma giants such as Eli Lilly and Merck & Co operate scores of manufacturing sites worldwide. Nearly 90 per cent of US biotech companies rely on imported components for at least half of their approved products, according to the Biotechnology Innovation Organisation. China is a key player in that supply chain. CFR's Dr Huang said Chinese firms are likely to set their sights on emerging markets such as South-east Asia, India, Latin America and Africa where regulatory hurdles are lower than in the US or Europe. He drew parallels between China's current GLP-1 roll-out and its earlier push into insulin. 'For insulin, after patents on analogs like glargine expired, Chinese firms launched biosimilars at significantly lower prices,' Dr Huang said, adding that government bulk purchasing and insurance coverage helped drive domestic access and market share. While global pharmaceutical giants still dominate the high-end market, Chinese companies have rapidly expanded their footprint. Dr Huang said GLP-1 drugs are emerging 'as a new front in US-China biotech rivalry', given their vast market potential and global health significance. 'This surge, fuelled by China's vast patient base for clinical trials and cost advantages, mirrors the country's rapid ascent in artificial intelligence and has prompted US concerns about eroding biotech advantages,' he added.
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan boxing to hold emergency meeting following deaths
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, fought on the same card at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Aug 2 and died days later following brain surgery. TOKYO - Japanese boxing officials will hold an emergency meeting on Aug 12 as the sport in the country faces intense scrutiny following the deaths of two fighters in separate bouts at the same event. Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, fought on the same card at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Aug 2 and died days later following brain surgery. The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), gym owners and other boxing officials are under pressure to act and will hold an emergency meeting on Aug 12. They are also expected to have talks about safety in September , local media said. 'We are acutely aware of our responsibility as the manager of the sport,' Mr Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary-general of the JBC, told reporters on Aug 10. 'We will take whatever measures we can.' Japanese media highlighted the risks of fighters dehydrating to lose weight rapidly before weigh-ins. 'Dehydration makes the brain more susceptible to bleeding,' the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said. That is one of the issues the JBC plans to discuss with trainers. 'They want to hear from gym officials who work closely with the athletes about such items as weight loss methods and pre-bout conditioning, which may be causally related (to fatalities),' the Nikkan Sports newspaper said. In one immediate measure, the commission has decided to reduce all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title bouts to 10 rounds from 12. 'The offensive power of Japanese boxing today is tremendous,' Mr Yasukochi was quoted by the Asahi Shimbun as telling reporters. 'We have more and more boxers who are able to start exchanges of fierce blows from the first round. Maybe 12 rounds can be dangerous.' AFP
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
In Japan, a public toilet certification system aims to help tourists in a pinch
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Japan is already known for its high standards of hygiene, but an eastern prefecture's quality certification system for public toilets to boost cleanliness and reassure visitors has been gaining praise and influencing other parts of the country. GUNMA, Japan – An eastern Japan prefecture's quality certification system for public toilets to boost cleanliness and reassure visitors has been gaining praise and influencing other parts of the country. The visitor toilet accreditation system in Gunma Prefecture began in 2003, with conditions at 259 bathrooms meeting its standards as at fiscal 2024. Facilities are judged on cleanliness, safety, ease of use and other factors based on around 25 points, with certified loos bearing a plaque with the prefectural mascot Gunmachan. Cleaner Hisako Kobayashi, who works at the Kannonyama Family Park in Takasaki that boasts seven accreditations, attributed their success to regular daily maintenance of the toilets. Individuals seeking an accredited toilet can use a map provided on the website of NPO Gunma, the organisation that runs the scheme. The organisation's Kaori Hasegawa, responsible for inspections, said there were cases where people with disabilities decided their travel destinations based on accessibility to certified public toilets. All awarded bathrooms are subject to on-the-spot inspections and accreditation renewals every two years. The system has made a splash elsewhere in the country, with western Japan's Kochi Prefecture implementing a version from fiscal 2012 and Nagano Prefecture in central Japan doing so from fiscal 2014. 'Toilets are part of the spirit of hospitality,' a Nagano official said of the scheme. KYODO
