Today I took the baby to a pediatric cardiologist in Nahariya for a follow-up – the NICU doctors recommended we take him to different specialists for each of the concerns they had right after his birth. (The doctor said everything is normal and that there’s no reason to come back for another six months, when we’ll check everything again.)
Visits to the pediatrician and for blood work are easily taken care of locally. But all of the specialists are located in different cities, and this adds a component of stress to the experience. The night before I have a visit, I spend a lot of time figuring out which bus to take to whatever city I’m going to, then which intercity bus to take once there, and how to get from the bus stop to the office I need.
Then early in the morning, I wake up early in order to have time to pump so that I’ll be able to take a bottle with me, and also nurse the baby. Until today I’ve taken the electric pump with me and have to find a place to use it so that I can prepare a second bottle while I’m out.
So a good bit of this pressure is related to needing to have bottles ready for when I go out. This is because we’re still at a transitional point with nursing; it’s going very well but where we’re at right now is more typical of a few days after birth than five weeks. That means that he needs a lot of help latching on and staying latched on, which is really hard to do discretely; this requires more privacy than generally is available in a public place and I can’t do it with a blanket thrown over my shoulder. I’ve been dreading these appointments more and more since they are so wearying and take so much energy to prepare for, over six hours away from home due to using public transportation, and then I’m so tired when I get home that I have to rest.
Today I went to a part of Nahariya that I’ve never been to before, so there was the usual effort involved in trying to figure out how to get there. Once I arrived, I was over an hour early for my appointment, so I strolled through the mall where the office was located. As I got to the third floor, opposite the cardiology clinic, I was surprised to see a room with a sign: “Nursing and changing room”. I pushed the door, expecting it to be locked (it looked dark and unoccupied) but was pleasantly surprised when it swung open.
Inside was a simple setup – a couple of padded chairs, a low table, and a sink. Nothing fancy. But it was quiet and it was private – and it was perfect! For the first time in all of the traveling I’ve been doing with the baby since he was born, I was able to nurse him somewhere except for at home. It was so, so relaxing. Sometimes you don’t realize how much tension you carry around with you until you don’t have it!
And for the first time since doing all of this traveling, I didn’t need to give the baby a bottle. He was content during the entire doctor visit, slept soundly for the next two and a half hours until we got home, and I didn’t need any bottles at all during the entire 6.5 hours we were out! Having this room made such a huge difference to my day – I was so grateful and wished I knew who thought of the idea so that I could personally thank them.
Maybe these rooms are common – this is the first I’ve seen in Israel, but until very recently I wouldn’t have been looking! If so, it’s a trend that will hopefully catch on and become much more widespread.
Do you have nursing rooms in public areas near where you live? Are they common or hard to find?
Avivah
I was pleasantly surprised to see a nursing room in the mall in netanya. I haven’t looked in our local malls though.
Ikea has them and ranks very high on my list of baby-friendly places.
Ikea has a nursing room. I assume that this is so in all the Ikeas, world-wide.
They have then in the malls by me and also in the higher-end department stores, there is a “woman’s lounge” that is perfect for nursing. It does make outings with baby so much less stressful!!
In Jerusalem, in Hadar mall in Talpiot (next to the restrooms). Also, they do have a small room inside the Shilav baby store in the Ahim Israel mall, also in Talpiot, and I think most Shilav stores have one. Good luck! All the best!
…I meant to say also in the Shilav store in Malcha mall in Jerusalem…(and, again, I think most Shilav stores have a small room).
Also the baby stores like shilav usually have one and in most malls in Jerusalem. Also alot of stores will let you use a back room to nurse if need be. I did that a few times.
When I was nursing, I would often ask a receptionist at the dr I was visiting, for whatever reason, if there was a room I could nurse in, and I often got one. I found the receptionists very helpful in any way they could. Maybe you can check when making apps. And I loved finding the nursing rooms in various malls around Jerusalem, there was even a convienient space in the US consulate in Tel Aviv (for getting that passport or S.S. card:). It was amazing.
I know this isn’t what you asked for in terms of comments, but are you able (in all ways) to rent a vehicle for the days you have an appointment? Doing the multiple bus/public transport thing is so tiring and you are post partum as well so it has to be even more tiring. I’m glad he doesn’t have any heart issues right now!
Generally nursing rooms are not common. But today while I was at our Kupat Cholim branch in Ariel (Maccabi) I spotted a nursing room and I couldn’t believe it! I wish they were more common…
And it really is amazing that you have the koach to travel so much so soon after birth. Baruch Hashem!
What a beautiful story. I smiled reading how well it worked out for you!
i was going to mention IKea 🙂
For my last baby my SIL loaned me her nursing cover up. It was incredible! It has an apron type neck, which allows me to slip it over my head (even with a sheital) easily. And a stiff hoop which allows me to see the baby and the baby to see me, but keeps me covered, and it is large enough to cover everything! Bebe au Lait makes them, along with others.
I found it such a lifesaver, because it meant that when I was someplace where I could not find a nursing room (I will not nurse in a toilet!), I could still comfortably and tzinously feed him. I just found a quiet corner and a chair and could feed.
Not as ideal as a lovely nursing room, but better than pumping, IMO.
Nechama, what you are describing is ideal. I found when nursing my twins that a similar nursing coverup did the trick. In a pinch, tying a baby blanket around my neck, bib style, also kept me covered. Wearing a sweater/cardigan to minimize exposure from the side also helped, so there was coverage all around.
There are also poncho style ones, I had one, although the material was too hot, the coverage was great. They make them in cotton as well, which might work better.
When we were travelling in Korea, I discovered that they have nursing rooms everywhere. Museums? Check. Airports? Check. The subway? Absolutely, check. I was *so* impressed, because they were universally clean (if I recall correctly, they were set up so that you removed your shoes when you came in). And the chairs were big and really comfortable. It made travelling with an easily distractible nursing toddler-gymnast much, much easier.