On Sunday 22 June 2008 about 1.45 pm, I was breastfeeding my baby in a nursing room in Vivocity.

The sliding door of the room has no locking mechanism, so my husband stood near the door to accompany us inside the room.

After 10mins or so, we heard a knock on the door and my husband answered "Sorry, breastfeeding, needs about 15mins".

A while later, there was another knock on the door and another, soon we heard this lady banging on the door impatiently.

The loud noise was scaring my baby who was initially enjoying his meal with his eyes half-closed.

My husband has no choice but to open the door slightly to explain to her.

Upon hearing that I was breastfeeding our baby in the nursing room, she immediately shouted loudly

"This is a diaper-changing room, not breastfeeding room!"

The lady's husband even supported her commenting that we were selfish and should not be using this room to feed.

We were stunned, really shocked for words.

My husband replied "Then can you please show me where else can we breastfeed?" and shut the door.

They had no choice but to leave.

For my 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and making use of the different rooms and facilities available in pro-family shopping malls and even restaurants to breastfeed in Singapore, this is the very first time I heard such an ignorant couple making this sort of comment in public.

If they were to refer to the mall directory and layout, there are many nursing/diaper changing rooms in Vivocity. We were not hogging on the one and only room.

Many friends misunderstood that toilets can be used for breastfeeding, but it is absolutely not recommended due to hygiene reasons, as there is a high level of bacteria (fecal coliform) present.

The diaper changing rooms in shopping malls, places of interests and department stores have many names, baby's room, nursing room, diaper changing room, family room, etc.

Most of these rooms are set up with a seat or a bench to enable breastfeeding mothers to nurse their babies.

I do not see the reason in providing a seat if the room is meant for diaper change only, maybe dad can change baby's diaper while mum can take a seat to rest her feet?

Places such as Tangs and Ikea even provided a comfortable arm chair in private rooms for mothers to use.

The state of the nursing rooms vary greatly, from highly conducive and comfortable to badly maintained, smelly and unbearable (stench from open un-cleared bin), some were even next to smoking areas at the side entrance (I never use that room again).

In this note, I would also like to compliment OG People's Park, Brilliant Restaurant at Chevron and Zhou's Kitchen at Far East Square.

They do not have breastfeeding rooms or facilities but their service to customers were definitely commendable through a simple act of placing a chair in a fitting room in OG, staff changing room in Brilliant Restaurant, an empty private room in Zhou's Kitchen.

All I needed was a seat in small enclosed area.

The quick-witted staff I approached in these places was very friendly and they had definitely contributed to my successful breastfeeding journey.

The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of two years of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of baby's life.

Please give all breastfeeding mothers the support they need.

Ms Koh Sok Yee Linda
Jurong West