Some of you may have known that Maegan was a on a full breastfed diet for 5.5 months, a journey I considered tough to begin with, but very rewarding as it progressed on.
Recently, something I encountered at work brought me back to those days of breastfeeding, being a working mum, and keeping my breastmilk supply at home going. Perhaps many more mothers out there may encounter the same issue.
I recall a colleague asking me: "Where do you pump your breast-milk at work?" I told her, and I???m not proud of saying this: "In the photo studio room, and storeroom where I can lock the door."
The temperature is always kept low in the room, which means that it is freezing. Old, unwanted stuff are kept in there, and with the exception of one chair, one table and a power point - that was what kept me going throughout my 2.5 months of breastfeeding journey, after I returned to work from my maternity leave.
I lasted 2.5 months at work when I wanted to aim for a personal target of six months of full breastfeeding for Maegan. But I wonder how many more mothers did it, with no proper facilities in an office building I consider beautifully architected. We have a roof garden, with blossoming buds and flowers for every staff to take a breather. We have a Spinelli???s caf??? for coffee enthusiasts to load up on the caffeine intake. We even have an ATM machine for the basic needs of withdrawing money.
But what about breastfeeding moms at work who need a comfortable, private and hygienic space that is not much bigger than two office cubicles combined? I didn???t have that and I kept telling myself that the room I used then was acceptable, only thank God it didn???t have to be the toilet.
But what re-triggered my breastfeeding memories was when I heard a pumping sound in the toilet just some weeks ago. The familiar sound of a breast pump machine, but the horrific image I had of a mother resorting to pumping her breastmilk in the toilet, tolerating little privacy and smells of every kind.
To me, it???s akin to preparing a baby???s food in the toilet. But who does that and if no one should have their food from or in the toilet, why do breastfeeding mums have to be subject to such disagreeable conditions to fulfil a basic need in life?
And even if it???s a choice for her to be in the toilet, can more decent options be made readily available to her?
Inside me, I was glad that I didn???t have to be the one stuck in that situation. But I???m guilty of accepting the circumstances around me, which does nothing for future working mums who need a proper facility in their workplace.
I was apathetic and I regret not having said or done something. But it???s never too late, and I hope many more working mothers do not have to be confined to those same toilet walls or accept the situation and circumstances as status-quo.
