On Saturday I was at a wedding and the reception was at the student union on IU's campus. I was wearing a dress so I needed to nurse top-down, and my son is very, very distractable when NIP now. I really wanted to find a quiet, cozy, somewhat secluded corner to nurse in -- not because I care particularly what other people think about me nursing top-down etc -- because it's the only way my kid will really nurse and not leave me flapping in the breeze every 4 seconds. I looked and looked and there really wasn't a good spot anywhere. Just as a had almost resigned myself to nursing in the bathroom (just because it was quiet) my dad finds me and tells me that he asked an employee, and there was a lactation room. He walked with me to find it, and we did, but we needed a key to get in. So we walked back to the front desk and asked for they key. I was expecting basically a closet with a folding chair or something. This room was wonderful! It had a rocking chair, a comfy chair, magazines to read, a baby changing station, a Medela Lactina Select pump (sans tubes or flanges), extra nursing pads, handouts on pumping and storing milk, and even business cards for a local IBCLC if you needed one. It was SO NICE. They had a little comment card thingie so I wrote to thank them for such a great room. It was seriously so thoughtfully designed. I want to write a more formal letter just to thank them, and also to tell them that the only thing that would have made it better was if there were signs around the building pointing to the room and that explained that keys were available at the front desk because if my dad hadn't asked I wouldn't have known it was there, and it was kind of a hassle to find the room and then have to go get a key.
But anyway....it was great to feel so supported. Yay IU! So if any of you are ever on the campus of IU, know that there is a nice place to nurse if nursing in a quiet place works better than NIP.
But anyway....it was great to feel so supported. Yay IU! So if any of you are ever on the campus of IU, know that there is a nice place to nurse if nursing in a quiet place works better than NIP.
. And Purdue should take this as a challenge and follow suit. Bathrooms do not make good lactation rooms.
