Nursing room in KL & Klang Valley :-

Shopping in KL? Not sure where to find nursing facilities? Check out these places reviewed by MMB’s members. (Tks Hanz and Jolene for compilation and editing.)

Thumbs Up for these places!!

1) IKEA
Last week, I went to Ikea and nursed Hanafi there. The changing table was furnished with toilet-rolls. Wow!! Very comfy - Hanz

For me the most cosy baby room found so far is IKEA. Hibban was so happy when feeding there, he would suck then fall asleep. I just continue with my shopping after he sleeps.- Ipah

Thumbs up for Ikea!! (mommy and bb) Best nursing rooms in the country! And it extends to Ikano too, but the ones in Ikea are much cleaner and better maintained. - Katcheah

2) Jaya Jusco, Mid Valley & One Utama
I use the nursing rooms in Jusco Mid Valley. It is quite nice but off-peak hours a bit quiet and lonely. Unfortunately, I have seen many people ‘abuse’ the use of the nursing rooms, e.g. Young ladies trying out stockings, young boys having a nap and whole families camped there! – Jo

I have encountered some rude moms who bottlefeed their babies in the Jusco nursing room. Once or twice I would wait, but occassionaly I tell the moms to go outside and bottlefeed their babies on the many benches provided. I tell them that the room is for breastfeeding. Anyway, the signage is a bit misleading as it shows a picture of a bottle. –Maria Ho

Used to love the one in jusco, but they changed the sofa to a stool. It’s quite uncomfortable… for the back, and sometimes I slip off the stool! Not to mention that the smell from the toilet gets to the feeding room. - Anne

Breastfeeding modestly does not mean that you should nurse your child hidden away in only your home or in smelly restrooms!

Here are some tips on how you can nurse discreetly in public places:

1. Don’t be shy or ashamed. You are giving the best to your baby – doing the most natural thing, whether in a public place or not - breastfeeding. With the right way, you only expose your breast for a few seconds. Discreet breastfeeding becomes easier with practice – practice makes perfect. So, practice at home until you are comfortable and have the confidence to nurse in public places.

2. Do nurse before you leave home or while you are still in the car. Or you can nurse when you are having your meal so that you can get more done during your outing or shopping trip.

3. Try to feed your child before he/she gets too hungry. A crying child tends to draw more attention. Take this opportunity to relax and have a drink to replenish your energy to make more milk.

4. Find a comfortable place to sit. If in a crowded place, find a private corner. If given a choice, I would feed in a quiet corner where my child would not be distracted by his/her surrounding. This results in a quicker feed.

5. Lift your blouse (if buttons, unbuttons from the bottom up) and latch your child on. Look up from your child when he/she has started to nurse. Have your meal or chat with your companion or watch passers-by. Don’t feel awkward, as this would draw more attention. A lot of people might not even notice that you are breastfeeding.

6. Do wear a nursing bra that can be easily and quickly unfastened with one hand while you hold your baby with the other.

7. Wearing the right clothing helps. Generally, a 2-piece outfit or larger clothing pulled up from bottom for easy access. There are also nursing wears with slits over the breasts to provide easy and discrete access.

8. Discreet nursing can also be achieved by nursing your child in a sling. Using one will also allow you to feed your child while doing your other errands at the same time.

9. If anyone stares at you, just look back at them and they would usually turn away!

10. You might not feel very comfortable the first few times but be assured that discreet nursing becomes easier with practice. Learning to feed your baby in public places enables you to meet his/her needs instantly. It might help you feel more comfortable nursing publicly if you participate in a nursing mothers’ outing.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their lives, and continuing up to 2 years of age or beyond with complementary food.
Please read here.
This article is courtesy of Anna, a breastfeeding mother and also a breastfeeding counsellor from Singapore.

(more mothers’ tips on breastfeeding in public on this page)

I have my own self-designed nursing t-shirt.

Anyway, here’s how to do my nursing tee.

(1) Get a cheap t-shirt. I got those RM4.99 tees at GIANT - got mine one white and one black. Get the ones which are a bit body hugging ‘coz you’ll be wearing it underneath your shirt or blouse.

(2) Make 2 slits about 6 inch long about 2 inches away from the sleeves. It’s like at the side of your breasts nearer to your arms. The measurement depends on your McB’s size. As long as it is wide enough to “take them out”. Anyway, even if you ruined it, it’s only a RM4.99 shirt! Also, don’t make the slits on top of your breast ‘coz it’ll gape open.

(3) To avoid spraying of the ends, sew those bias tape (can get at sewing shops for 50sen) of the same colour as your shirt.

(4) Sew buttons (I use those small metal ones - dunno what it’s call) about half way along the slit. You can also use velcro - the idea is to use something that is easy to undo.

(5) Wear this tee underneath your normal blouse or shirt or even get a matching coloured cardigan to wear on top. To feed, just unbutton your top, undo the button at the side of your tee and voila! Discreet nursing for you!!

I am also thinking of getting one of those tank tops to do this too as it is much cooler.

Have fun trying! All in all - spent less than RM10 per t-shirt. The stitches don’t need to be so tidy lah… after all, you’re gonna wear it underneath your clothes. (Lily)

Thanks a bunch for the instruction on the DIY project. Sounds very easy to make leh Actually I learned from the net and also DEE at Msianursingmom you can also make your own nursing tee per Lily’s instruction, then get a nicely printed fabric eg. batik / other decorative fabric, cut into square, and fix it over the shirt, so that it’s like an overlay for the tee.

Just estimate the length from abt above chest area all the way to tee’s end. Width is both seams of the tee. Next, sew the upper portion of square onto the tee at above chest. Then, sew one small bottom each on both sides of the square, one left and one right near tummy area to hold the fabric cover in place. When you need to nurse, just unbutton the side you want to nurse and nurse easily while the printed overlay cover your MCb discreetly. (Sze)
Loose clothing works better. tee-shirts fine too. You can have a diy nursing attire. wear a closer fit top (eg.tank top) and wear a loose shirt (buttoned or unbuttoned) over. then just unbutton the lower few buttons of shirt, lift up your tank and feed. your loose shirt will give some coverage for exposed tummy and boobs, and baby will cover the rest of your exposed tummy. (Audrey)