Nursing in the chapel

[Elgama]

Originally Posted by hankpac

"...as other women come in to change their toddlers' poopie pants that easily stink up the whole room because it's so small. I wish there were a separate poo room. I usually end up in there for at least half an hour because of how long my daughter nurses and on average, about three people will come in to add to the waste pail full of poopy diapers..."

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every chapel is different we have to take our diapers home with us and we have a changing station but no quiet room.

-Charley

[MorningStar]

Originally Posted by hankpac

"...as other women come in to change their toddlers' poopie pants that easily stink up the whole room because it's so small. I wish there were a separate poo room. I usually end up in there for at least half an hour because of how long my daughter nurses and on average, about three people will come in to add to the waste pail full of poopy diapers..."

There IS a separate Poo room: the rest rooms. If your facility is not badly designed, the counter by the sink is supposed to be wide enough to change babies. Men's room too. Older facilities often have a fold-down table for this job, with a belt to hold the kid. Taking babies to the nursing room to change a nasty diaper is inappropriate, and poses a health risk.
The bathrooms are designed to handle infectious waste.
Also, the bishop, and PFR should be on top of having the cans emptied immediately after meetings: the families with babies should be taking care of this, and the task should be rotated. Each diaper should be rolled, taped, and put in an individual bag, brought from home for the purpose.

At our building, there is no counter space available in the restroom or in the men's restroom. It is really frustrating. The only space that works for changing a diaper is in the mothers' lounge. If they ever plan to do a remodel and I hear anything about it, I will definitely put in my 2 cents for a changing area separate from the feeding area, plus a larger area to feed. It's ridiculous.

[AliciaB]

I haven't managed to read through all posts yet, but someone did say that its one of those "what would Jesus do topics" I see it as a " what if jesus was present topic" I currently have a 6 week old baby that feeds every 2 hours, sometimes less (usually on a Sunday when I feel uncomfortable feeding) but I ask myself, if Jesus was sat in the room with me, do I think he would be offended by me nursing my baby? and I don't think he would be, because it is very natural and the best for my baby, and if he needs feeding he has to be fed. Making my baby wait till I find a suitable room could take a while and is a little bit cruel to my baby.
My ward doesn't have a mothers lounge, just a very small seat in the changing area in the toilets! not the kind of place I want to eat my lunch so I don't want my baby to have to eat there either. I try to find a free room if there is one, if not I have no choice but to feed him during my lessons. I have not fed him during sacrament yet because for me the chapel is the one place I don't feel comfortable feeding, mainly because of how everyone else might feel around me, so I take myself out but miss most of the talks.
When I am breast feeding my son around other people I always ask them if it is ok first because babies can be unpredictable and pull blankets off when latching on. I always try to be modest when feeding, but when things slip it's embarrasing enough for me, without feeling bad that I may have offended someone unintentionally.
Sometimes I think mothers rooms are there not just for privacy (as some mothers don't want to feed in public) but to make everyone else feel better ( the people that try to push you into a little room because they don't believe it's right to feed in public.) just my opinion.

Sorry to make it a long reply.

[anatess]

FOR ANYBODY NURSING THEIR BABY... HURRAAAAYYYY FOR YOU!!! I have nothing but respect and admiration and hero-worship for you.

When I had my first baby, I would cry through breastfeeding - it hurt like the dickens at first (I didn't know what I was doing) and the baby was always hungry. I completely lost my sense of identity - I was nothing but a feeding machine. And everywhere we go, I can't just find an easy place to be private (try looking for a mother's lounge at Walmart or the McDonalds). I was on the verge of quitting the whole thing TONS of times. I've had mastitis, bleeding breasts, and almost got arrested in Hong Kong (it is illegal there to nurse in public). The only thing that kept me going was the ridiculous cost of formula and the steady encouragement of my husband. It wasn't until I was in my 3rd month of nursing that I finally "got the hang of it" and the trigger was my big brother (who I will always be very grateful for). We were on a 5 hour trip to the family Thanksgiving dinner. My brother and I carpooled. We stopped at the McDonald's and the baby was hungry. I put on my nursing "hide" and started to feed but the baby was crying because he was sweating - he was wearing thick clothes for winter. I tried my best to maneuver, already dreading the pain, already dreading the stares, and the baby wouldn't cooperate. I broke down and started crying. My husband tried his best to help me out but was at a loss on what to do. Until my brother finally got mad and said, what is your problem? Take that darned blanket off and feed your baby! I took the "hide" off, made myself comfortable and started feeding. Now, mind you, I have a nursing bra and nursing shirt on so there is no chance you can see breast, but you can see the baby's head and there is no question on what he is doing. The baby nursed happily, my husband finally settled into the feeding routine, I was at peace, and my brother went on to talk about something else like nothing major just happened. From that day on, I never had any problems feeding the baby anymore - I fed anywhere, anytime, as necessary (which is why I almost got arrested in Hong Kong). I nursed until the baby weaned himself off - about 18 months or so. And I nursed my 2nd born for about 20 months. The whole entire time, my wardrobe consists of nursing shirts, nursing bra, and nursing garments, sometimes I use the "hide", sometimes I don't. My 2nd born is now 5. I still have the nursing shirts hanging in my closet. I kept it to look at for when sometimes I feel like a failure - I would go look at those shirts and it immediately picks me up, just knowing that I accomplished THAT!

Now, for you people out there giving RESPONSIBLE nursing mothers more roadblocks for nursing babies. Boo to you. It is hard enough to keep with the program without you making it harder.