Breastfeeding rooms/facilities (good&bad)

Cat Melodeon

Hey all, I'm hoping some of you could give me a few tips for public breastfeeding rooms around the country? I normally feed wherever we happen to be but my 9 month old is going through a nosy nippy phase & I'd appreciate a bit more privacy so I can roar at her in peace!

The only two I've used are the one in Dundrum SC and the one in Thurles SC, and two more different spaces it would be hard to find! Dundrum is so pretty & welcoming, the Thurles one is an office chair and a bin in something the size of a toilet cubicle :-(

So if you know of any feeding rooms round the country, any chance you could post them here, and maybe rate them? I'm particularly interested in Limerick/Tipp/-Dublin, but i'm sure there's more than me might need them, so if you have a local one, add it on!

Neyite

Ooh, good idea Cat!

Mothercare is the only nursing room I know of in Galway. It tends to get very busy, it has room for maybe 2 mums, because of the buggys. Has a change mat, sink, 2 feeding chairs.

edellc

St Stephens Green has one, its a big enough room and a bit dated but it has nice big armchair like seats.

the only thing is you can not lock it from the inside and if the door opens while your in there your in full view of the people (mostly men) outside waiting on their OH's to finish in the loo next door, maybe I was just blind and didnt see the lock but I wasnt happy about that.

I know the facility is there so lots of people can use it at the same time but isnt that the reason why these things exist so you can breast feed in private, also when I was in there another mother and her husband came in and she was feeding her baby while the husband stood there like a tool and made me feel so uncomfortable and self conscious as like I said these rooms are there so you dont have to get your breast out in public to feed baby. Also at that stage by boobs where bigger than babies head so I was uber paranoid as there is no way I could hide my boobs and her husband standing there looking was not a nice experience.

lazygal

The one in Brown Thomas in Dublin is lovely. It's a small room, only one person at a time, but a nice comfy chair and lots of room for changing baby. If I'm in town during the week its the only one I use.

Cat Melodeon

Hi Edel, totally understand about feeling self-conscious. Only thing I will say is that I've forced my husband to be that tool on occasion! Sometimes in the early days I wanted him to stay with me for support, guess I didn't really think about how it might affect other mothers. Himself is totally unflappable about using the women's toilets too when thats where the only baby changing units are. Architects seem to assume that men don't do childcare!

Interesting question though. Do ye think breastfeeding dads should be excluded from feeding rooms?

holidaygirl

Limerick one's that I've used
Boots in Childers road has a spacious, clean nursing room. They even have plenty of nappy supplies there as well.
Mothercare in the city has a place but it is very small and pokey, nice chair though.
Mothercare in the crescent shopping center have a lovely room.

Tipperary one's that I've used

I've used that smelly one in Thurles shopping centre.
Clonmel, the showgrounds shopping centre have massive changing facilities with two rooms with nursing chairs.

edellc

How do dads breastfeed Im confussed...

Neyite

edellc wrote: »

How do dads breastfeed Im confussed...

Presume they mean a dad that's with their breast feeding partner.

Cat Melodeon

edellc wrote: »

How do dads breastfeed Im confussed...

Lol not with their breasts, obviously! Maybe it's just our experience but Himself would sometimes help with positioning at the start (especially during awkward times like when I had a blocked duct or a crack), fetch things, act as a confidence builder and just be generally useful. He was also able to look after the toddler when #2 arrived (some places have wee tables & stuff for older kids but you cant watch them AND feed). We felt it helped Himself be involved, was better than having him lurk outside the door.

Of course he would be sensible enough not to be goggling other breastfeeding pairs & would leave if he got an uncomfortable vibe, but I don't recall that ever happening. Genuinely interested though if others would find that inappropriate, clearly you do Edel & I'd hate to think we'd have put anyone out :-(

wmpdd3

It wouldnt bother me in the slightest, i think you always know a guy who's lived with a feeding mum. They manage to speak to your face. I dont even know of anywhere in waterford, i think the little room under the stairs in mothercare could be for feeding because you havent a hope of bringing a buggy in and changing a baby's bum.
i just have my corners of cafes that i use, we're were just commenting hat the best place to feed a baby in waterford is mcdonalds! Plenty room for multiple buggys and booths for feeding. Only thing is, you look like a junk food junky.

edellc

I never really thought about that day until I read your post, but now thinking back I really do feel strongly that breastfeeding rooms are for the breastfeeding parent and not partners, I never heard of a breastfeeding dad hehe, so thank you for explaining that one but no I never needed the OH to help me with it.

TBH even when I was out with the OH and had to feed baby he never came into the room with me and went off and did his own thing until I was done, then he'd get a phone call asking where he was. If we had another child with us he would bring the child with him and they would go off and do something else as there is no need for the whole lot of us to be in the breastfeeding room when baby was being fed and I really dont think if is fair on others in the room either to have himself and a child there, fair enough the child being there if daddy isnt but if he is then go off and do their own thing until baby is fed.

I just think that its fine having the whole family around at home if your doing it , if thats what you want or if your comfortable doing it in a restaurant thats great but the rooms are for those who liked a little bit of privacy feeding baby and having another women in the room is ok but having a man there too isnt, what is the point of them if everyone goes in, it defeats the purpose IMO. Just because you are comfortable with something doesnt mean everyone is and maybe I am just conscious of intruding on others privacy and feel that if your not comfortable feeding in a restaurant then obviously you are looking for privacy and having a man in such a small space with you is not private regardless of where his eyes are focused.

But OP that is not what your thread is asking thats for another thread I think, so I will leave it at that.

Shane Fitz

Forgive me if this is a silly question, and abut off topic, but are the not "feeding rooms" breast or otherwise?
iirc, my wife told me the one in Dundrum had facilities for heating bottles too. She encountered a Dad bottle feeding his baby, in there once, no sign of mammy.
And speaking as a stay at home dad, it is a pain at times trying to bottle feed a baby in the regular seating of a restaurant with all the distraction.
Thankfully at 10mnths we're passed that for the most part.

Don't get me started on changing facilities!

lmullen

There's a nice one in Blanchardstown shopping centre near Fields jewellers,a fee comfy chairs, TV and changing table also a toilet that's big enough for pram!!!

edellc

Shane thats not a silly question, maybe they are feeding rooms, I just know that when I moved baby onto bottles I fed him in a restaurant, and they all very kindly gave me a jug of hot water to heat bottles, likewise when he was on solids and I was giving him the jars of food they gave me jugs of hot water to heat up the food, so for me the rooms where for privacy for breastfeeding if you didnt feel comfortable doing it in public as ignorant people do tend to stare ( both men, women and adolescents) and its hard enough getting used to baby without having to get FF boobs out in public and feed a baby(even trying to get one out of a maternity bra discreetly and attach baby was a nightmare), so maybe it was down to the fact that my boobs where huge and in no way could I hide them and I didnt feel comfortable getting them out in public to feed baby so the rooms offered some privacy but for me having a man in there defeated the purpose of the privacy they IMO are suppose to offer.

As for the changing facilities I agree with you Shane, as that was the OH's job and the amount that are in womens toilets is just ridicules

Cat Melodeon

There's a feeding room in Buchanan Galleries SC in Glasgow that works really well. There's a big room with lots of nappy changing stations when you come in, then a screened off area with comfy chairs for feeding as well as a separate, lockable cubicle so that any parent, male or female can go in there & change baby/prepare food without risk of feeling exposed or invading privacy. Wish we had more of those, it's a bit unfair that women who need extra privacy can't get it and those who need extra support maybe have to do without. I don't think I'll be bringing my man with me again. It might be nice on occasion to have him there but no way would I want to upset another bf mam - it's hard enough as it is!

wmpdd3

baby is only 6 months so maybe things will change, but i feel i should feed in public and not hide away. I dont want that to sound bad in any way, its just how i feel. Esp as it takes him 20mins to empty a boob.

Cat Melodeon

wmpdd3 wrote: »

baby is only 6 months so maybe things will change, but i feel i should feed in public and not hide away. I don't want that to sound bad in any way, its just how i feel. Esp as it takes him 20mins to empty a boob.

I used feeding rooms a lot with my first, just because I was so awkward (shy & clumsy) & he could be difficult to settle (nosy, tongue tied, fidgety). Its been very different this time, I've even fed her while walking around Tesco! The last few weeks have been harder though as she's teething & sooo nosy - my desire for privacy is less about my own modesty & more about being able to yelp & get cross without incurring the attention/pity/wrath of others!

It's also something that comes up a lot with parents, especially first-timers, that they feel uncomfortable about public feeding & feel limited where they can go, which can impact on breastfeeding duration. Good feeding rooms would help with this, while those of us who are more seasoned/less shy can continue doing the work of making it normal to breastfeed wherever we find ourselves. That way maybe we'll get to the point where no breastfeeding mother experiences that discomfort at all, public breastfeeding will be so normal.

This thread has totally gone in a different direction to where I wanted it to!

Any more baby care rooms to add?!

wmpdd3

I get you point, great opposite poinnt of view. this may sound horrible but theres a room in mcdonnagh sc, it is a changing room with a toilet but i usually feed in there too as it big enough for a double buggy and i can use the toilet too! Not very socialable though. I've also fed him while going around tesco until i got a cramp im my arm and nearly dropped him!