[peainpod]

Jusco in Taikooshing recently renovated their nursing room so that it's now a curtained-off room with two longish sofas allowing more than one mom to bf at a time. This is a great idea except that when i was there this weekend, there were two fathers in there as well, mixing the bottles of formula while the moms were sitting down with their babies. They did leave after i said that i needed to bf, but then afterwards, i had to sit in close quarters with their wives who gave me dirty looks the entire time i was nursing bubs!

Has this happened to anyone else? It left me feeling kind of frustrated afterwards, and wondering if I should just not bother with nursing rooms - which are relatively uncommon in HK and hard enough to find as it is - and use a nursing canopy with bubs somewhere public instead.

[cool-gaga]

I experienced something similiar at the nursing room in Times Square. I rushed in to the room to find a father feeding formula to his toddler. I made a comment that I need to use the room for breastfeeding to which he calmly replied.. I'm sorry but I am still feeding my daughter. The toddler was drinking really slowly and after 10 minutes I got really frustrated (and bubs was crying) so I just sat next to him and took out my boobs. He was very embarrased but still did not leave. I half wished his wife would walk in on us so I can see her reaction. These people are so inconsiderate!

[noc]

Oh my, how rude! I guess they wanted a quiet place to feed their babies formula, which is so inconsiderate to nursing mothers! I haven't had any such experiences, but I find that a lot of nursing rooms in malls are also diaper changing rooms, which can sometimes be quite smelly!

[mumto2]

Are these "parent" rooms are "mother" rooms you are all referring to? Sorry I don't see why someone who is feeding their child should have to leave because you don't feel comfortable feeding in front of them. Isn't that just inconsiderate of you to expect that they should leave? Their children are hungry too. Surely the problem is that wherever you are hasn't provided a private room for people who are embarrassed to feed in front of other people. You should definitely take it up with centre management of the mall.

[carang]

i agree.
why are you embarrassed to bf in public? it's not like you're standing on the table at mcdonald's doing a striptease, for goodness sake! you are simply providing nourishment to your child, just as the father was doing for his child.

it is a natural process to breastfeed and so long as women are embarrassed by it, how do you expect others to feel?

if others are embarrassed, that's their problem, NOT yours.

go ahead and feed your child, where-ever, when-ever you need!!!

i didn't even bother with one of those canopies as it only draws attention to what you are doing. if you wear a button up top, you can just undo what you need and do it anywhere...
i even did it sitting on a bench in the middle of maritime square in tsing yi. i don't think anyone realised what i was doing as i didn't advertise the fact.

take pride in the fact that you are bf and don't hide away and expect others to retreat just because you are doing it!

[peainpod]

I should clarify that the nursing room in Taikooshing is intended for breastfeeding purposes. In fact, there is a sign outside that says "males are strictly prohibited from entering". So yes, I guess in this case, from a "management" perspective, nursing moms do have priority to use the room.

[Koan]

Nursing rooms are too few and far between for me to bother. I nurse wherever I am. I too don't bother with a cover, baby just pulls it off and it's too hot anyway. Nobody can see what you're doing, I've found that the baby's body actually blocks everything. I've nursed all over HK and once you do it that first time, and swallow up the fear that everyone is staring, it's pretty easy.

[bekyboo44]

I have to say that I also never bothered with nursing rooms when b/f my son in HK....I fed wherever and whenever he needed feeding. There is always a starbucks or pacific coffee close enough to wherever you happen to me.

Once in desperation I b/f my son on the MTR....it was the Tung Chung line so quiet compared to the rest of the MTR.

I didn't find that many people stared...in fact most of the time I b/f my son in public few people seemed to notice, and if they did and felt uncomfortable well that unfortunetly is their problem.
I did find giggling local teenagers annoying....but looking back it is probably the first time they had ever seen a baby b/f (sad but true)! I soon got over them too.

Personally I think if a room is called a 'nursing rm,' well then nursing mothers should have priority....I agree that people shouldn't be uncomfortable with b/f in public but people undoubtedly are and if nursing rms encourage more women to b/f then so b it.

Not sure why a toddler needs to be fed formula in a a nursing rm.