McKenna and I are visiting my family in Fredericton, NB this week. It's been so nice to be home and to get to introduce her to my friends and family. At 8 weeks old, she has already been to Ontario and now to NB - thank goodness she's a good traveller!
I try to get out as much as possible with her, as I want to expose her to as much as possible from an early age. Also, being wintertime, it can be hard to get outside for walks sometimes, so we hit up the mall on particularly gross days or days when I am feeling trapped at home. As such, I have had the opportunity to sit in many a washroom, change room, and nursing room with her. The "nursery" provided by our mall back home in St John's is absolutely terrible. The breastfeeding area is literally one straight-backed chair in a washroom-type stall. No arm rests, no comfy plush seat, nothing to help make the process more comfortable for mother and baby. Come to think of it, I don't even think they provide a sink to wash your hands after changing the baby (I could be wrong?). The first time I had to use this room, I ended up having to stop the feeding prematurely, because my arms were so sore from having to hold the baby in place with nothing to support them. It was a frustrating experience for both McKenna and I. The Sears at the mall however, provides a really nice room for mothers to nurse in privacy and...comfort! Two faux-leather chairs, multiple change tables and privacy screens. As a result, I find myself going to Sears more and more now. I definitely go out of my way to go there when I need to nurse the baby, but I have also found that I am shopping there more often now. I appreciate that Sears has made an effort to support breastfeeding moms, rather than expecting them to feed their babies in the washroom or rush through a feeding because the accomodations provided are so uncomfortable. In turn, I have made a conscious effort to shop there more now, and to let the staff know that I do appreciate the room that they have provided.
So what does this have to do with being home in Fredericton? Well, I was at the mall here earlier today and had to change McKenna so I went off in search of a family-friendly washroom. To my surprise, the mall in F'ton has also provided mothers with a very nice room for breastfeeding, changing, etc. It's nice to see that some places are going out of their way not only to accomodate nursing mothers, but to make the experience more comfortable for them when they are away from home and need to nurse.