Worst nursing experience at 313@Somerset

[celchong514]

I want to share with all mummies my horrible experience in the nursing room at 313@Somerset.

I went to their nursing room to pump milk during lunch time. When i stepped into the nursing room, i saw a male looking cleaner standing inside and 'she' was eating. I stared at 'her' a bit as I was stunned, thinking if it should be a resting place for male worker. (There were times when i saw male cleaners working in the nursing room.) Neverthelss, I proceed into the cubicle without wasting my precious time.

A while later, a male security guard came and called for me to step out. I replied i cant cuz I am pumping milk and asked him what he wants. He repeated his request several times and I too replied with the same words, each time raising my voice louder and louder. Then someone attempted to pull the curtain open! I screamed out 'R u a male?! Do u want me to show u how i pump milk??! Thereafter he said 'mam, no food and drinks inside. I will ask a female to come in'. It is so horrible! I feel like I am being treated like a criminal! are they going to arrest me or wat?! I told him to stop, I will come out.

I was so pissed to be interupted. I quickly stop my session and stepped out carrying the pumps in each hand. I scolded them that I was not eating nor drinking, i was genuinely pumping. The male looking cleaner accused me very rudely tat I am eating inside as she saw me carrying bubble tea. I told her off saying am I supoose to hold my pumps in my hand when i walked in? And I challenged her back saying she is the one who is eating and chit chatting in the nursing room and how can she accuse a mummy who genuinely wants to nurse even though my baby is not with me?!

She couldnt argue back, so she walked to the next cubicle and rudely asked the lady inside 'Hey, Miss! R u pumping milk?' She asked several times before the lady inside said Yes. Then she turn around frustrated and say 'why is everyone pumping milk during lunch time!' I told them, we need to use the nursing room and its too bad that babies are not with us.

I demanded an explanation from them why a mum pumping in the cubicle has to be disturbed while the worker can eat and chit chat in the nursing room?? they couldnt answer me and they just waved and tell me 'nevermind...'

I feel like i am being treated like a criminal, no integrity, no respect and no privacy. and they can just walk off waving when they cant answer my question.

Mummies out there... what will you do if you are in my shoes? I am really really pissed and upset.

P/S: 313 has really nice nursing rooms in L1, L5 and B3. but too bad, these rooms are being abused by their worker

 

[ngian]

sure get very frustrated but it's pointless to argue to those cleaners; i'll either file complaint straight to their management or write my experience in their FB (fyi, they have FB wooo... lol!)

 

[skinneybeenie]

Tts really terrible. Those retards muz not go unpunished

 

[celchong514]

Pls tell me what I should do. I really feel v insulted

 

[msmummy]

Write to the Straits Times forum page!

I have also experienced times when cleaners were using the baby rooms to rest and sleep. One guy was even snoring away with his feet up on the sofa, while my baby was wailing away for milk!

 

[celchong514]

Msmummy, which place is tat?? N tat guy is a shopper or the cleaner?

 

[budbelly]

Hi, as much as I understand your frustration, I think a nursing room is meant to be just that, a nursing room, and not a pumping room. Since you did not have a baby with you, it's hard for outsiders to verify if you're pumping milk or sleeping or eating or doing whatever inside. If I had a wailing baby waiting to be fed and found the nursing room cubicles all occupied by people without babies, I would be super frustrated. Just my thoughts, no offence please.

 

[celchong514]

Yes I can understand a mummy's frustration if the room is occupied. Would you have ask politely if anyone is inside or would you juz pull the curtain to make sure some one is using it legitimately? I won't deny tat there are pple who abuse the room, but the way they handle things, accusation comes first than to clarify any doubt. How would u feel if u r naked in a chnaging room n someone barge in?

FYI, I was at 313 nursing room again today. When I visited, no cleaners were resting there. Perfect! But when I was about to clean up after pumping, a cleaner juz pull open the curtain without asking if anyone is inside. 2nd time in a row!! An the building mgmt told me they already send out stern warning.

 

[split]

i think you should call the management of 313. sometime the security/ cleaner are just a sub-con and they dont usually report this type of cases to the management. Should like the management know and take action. i will feel frustrated too if it happen to me.

 

[isabella_akj]

im a sahm and i bring my daughter everywhere i go but i think it is perfectly fine for other ftwm to use the nursing rooms available to pump... what i do though when i find that all nursing cubicles are taken is to actually ask permission to share the cubicle instead...i dont mind standing to bfeed as long as i am behind the curtain.. ftwms who are still breastfeeding have a limited time window to pump so we should all be understanding of each other i feel.. anyway celc thank u for sharing ur story with us.. i hope u will be able to post this story out to the media so that the building management will take note..

 

[celchong514]

Hi Isabella, thank you for sharing your thoughts. frankly, I wouldn't mind sharing the feeding room as well. Afterall, most mummies just want a bit more privacy n peace when feeding. What I don't like is the rudeness of these pple. A nursing room not always occupied doesn't mean that no one is using it. They can't just pull open the curtain without even asking if anyone is inside.

I have informed the mgmt the 2 incidents n will write in formally too. I think I will wait for them to response before posting in the media.

 

[autumn_leaves]

To me, even if I were to bring bubble tea in to drink while pumping, I do not think I am in the wrong as we nursing mummy will get thirsty when we pump. The most impt is to cleanup and not to litter around.
The way the cleaner and the security guard handle TS's case was totally absurd!
I believe abusing of nursing room was very common. I once went to Causeway point Basement Nursing Room to pump milk, only to realise some retards have vandalised the lock (causing the door unable to lock) and a young gal actually open the door while I was pumping! I was shocked and she was shocked to find a person using the room! I think she just treat nursing room as a pantry room and has wanted to wash something!
Our government encourage us mummies to bf but I think they did not educate the citizens enough.
Cleaners, workers from nearby the malls, teenagers are all abusing the nursing room.

 

[cheeksymummy]

I agree with autumn leaves, as long as i'm pumping my milk which is what the nursing room is used for, i don't see anything wrong with bringing bubble tea too. I do that too but fortunately i did not encounter anyone barging or misuse the room right in front of me. Seems like there are still many people are pretty uneducated about breastfeeding, pumping of milk and how nursing room helped us mothers instead of misusing it. Wait till their wifes or themselves become a mummy then they will understand.

 

[juye]

complain to the building management.. there is nothing wrong to pump milk inside a nursing room, that is consider nursing too.. that is very rude and insult from that so called security guard and the cleaner.. I will complain till they are being dealt with..

I too have very bad experience with some nursing rooms where cleaners used them as their resting rooms.. I will asked them politely to excuse themselves from the room.. once at bugis nursing room, I went to complain to the information counter cos nobody seems to answer to my knocks n my baby's crying at the nursing room and it is locked.. the security guard followed me to the room and guess what, there is a cleaner sleeping inside that room.. that is so bad.. my baby is crying to be nursed and cleaner just used it for resting..

 

[xiao_bibi]

Agree, i would say complain to the building management.
And buds, i feel nursing room should allow mummy to pump milk inside. Well, since day 1 after give birth , i never succeed in latch on If don't allow me to pump when i am outside, that would mean ask me to stop breastfeeding...

 

[betc]

I don't mind mummies pumping in nursing room as u can't pump as and when u like or in the public(without power). What I can't stand is parents bottle feeding baby in the cubicle(parents and grandparents all in the cubicle). Bottle feed can be done anywhere, y must it be in the cubicle??

 

[lipz]

I think it's getting more common for the security guards to check if the nursing rooms are being abused. I was at Tiong bahru plaza nursing room feeding my girl when a person just knocked the door very loudly, scaring me and my girl. The security guard wanted to see if i'm sleeping inside or really breastfeeding. I initially ignored the knocks as i know alot of the students and other people love to get hot water from the nursing room, and i thought it's them again asking me to open the door to get hot water.

2nd incident: I was at Parkway Parade SC nursing room and had just finished changing my baby's diaper and wanted to latch her in the nursing roomw hen a guy just walked into the room and locked the door. I asked him to come out as i wanted to bf my girl but he say he'll be out in awhile as he is trying out his new t-shirt. the male toilet is just next door why can't he just go there? I firmly told him that it's a nursing room and made him come out.

 

[betc]

Today I went Bedok Point and as usual ppl working there will use the nursing room. Today 2 girls washing and cutting fruits in the nursing room! They r lucky that they r leaving when I went in or else I will call the management.

 

[yvet]

Actually, i feel frustrated with all these cleaners/workers/tenants using nursing rooms! My boy is 2, and i had bf him till 14mths, so very much i depend on these nursing room to bf him or pump if i am out with or without him. i just cant stand these ppl coming in to just take water when i am bf/pumping, esp if its just curtains and not door n lock.

yes, and i agreed with betc on tt bottle feeding part. if i see tt, normally i will just tell them tt i need to bf. One incident when i am at bugis seiyu too, that i am queuing for the rooms to nurse my baby, waited for so long, till a family came out with a bottle in their hand!!! and it is so damn obvious tt its FM! Another time in airport, security guard sleeping in the nursing room! tt one, i practically chase her out!

I think if you encounter these, write direct to the management of the centre, cos no point to talk to them as they are really outsourced, so let the manangement know so that they can take so actions.

 

[simbaobao]

this doesn't happened just @ 313. But many places... the workers just abused the place. We caught a few sleeping inside. Having lunch etc...
Best @ one of the mall at the west... they locked up the door... leave a # to call if mummies want to use... U all feel how stupid it is? Esp when ur child POO n u nid to clear off and no one picked up ur call?
We even spoke to the mangement and they said they will look into it coz too many ppl abused the facilities.. really silly!!!!

 

[betc]

I guess the management also can't be bothered...they are not the ones using the nursing room