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The Nursing Room
When I was pregnant with my first child in 2001, I asked then-CEO BG
Tan Yong Soon for a nursing room in URA. He was slightly astonished
and asked if I intended to bring my infant to the office for
feedings. I explained that I wished to breastfeed my baby for at
least 1 year, and then after that for as long as possible. Since
maternity leave was only 8 weeks, I needed a place to express my
milk during office hours and the expressed milk can be fed to my
baby the following day. BG Tan immediately agreed to the setting up
of the nursing room.
When I returned to work in early 2002 after Timothy was born, OS
informed me that I could use the nursing room next to the Gym on the
5th storey. I was delighted.
Twice a day, I retreated to the room to express my milk. In those
quiet moments, I could take a step back from the hectic day while I
fulfilled my duty to my child to provide him with the best food
possible. Frequently, I would bring my work into the room to read. I
always had my hand phone with me in case I was needed for an urgent
work matter or ad hoc meeting.
At that time, only two mothers used the room and we did not usually
meet each other as we used the room at different times. Sometimes, I
had to struggle to complete my work before rushing to the nursing
room. Those were the times when I felt like giving up. But I
reminded myself that my baby needed my milk and told myself to just
persevere for one more day. By taking one day at a time, I managed
to feed Timmy for 22 months. I stopped using the nursing room by mid
2003 because I was 7 months pregnant with my second child and my
milk supply had dwindled.
Now that my second baby, Rupert is born, I am back in the nursing
room. But the nursing room has come a long way. OS has added a
fridge to the room, and additional chairs and curtains to
accommodate more mothers. New posters have also been added to the
walls.
There are now 6 mothers using the room. We often run into one
another and can catch up on how each of us is doing, how our babies
are growing and share mothering tips. Some of us with more milk also
give a small amount of milk to others who do not manage to express
as much as the baby requires. We encourage one another to persevere
with breastfeeding despite set backs such as nursing strikes or
bottle rejection. We egg each other on, knowing that we are all
trying to do our best by our children. We sympathise when one of us
is too busy to express milk, or is having a particularly difficult
project at hand. We toy with bringing all our babies for an outing
together. The nursing room is now cosy, buzzy and so much more
welcoming.
In a year's time, I would probably stop using the nursing room again
as my child gets older. The nursing room will surely play host to
many more new mothers over the years to come. I hope that, like
me, they will find the nursing room a source for comfort and encouragement
in their mothering journey.
Contributed by Regina Lim, mummy of Timothy and Rupert.
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