Our church has been doing some construction and expanding our cafe area. This expansion took over the space where our mother’s room once was. As a result the mother’s room has bounced around the church. The first location was too far away from the sanctuary. I had a conversation with some concerned moms. They thought that if someone had a screaming baby coming out of service the walk would be too long. Another mom mentioned the walk might be too far for mom’s recovering from a c-section. I voiced these concerns to Jeremy, who in turn shared them with our staff. And that is how the mother’s room landed on my plate. I’m a mom now and had a mom perspective, so why not redo the room myself? In the past, our mother’s room has been an assortment of mismatched furniture pieces and art work that never really hung up on the walls and “girly” accessories that really had no place in a mother’s room and only made it feel cluttered. Tealight candle holders are nice, but no one is lighting a candle in there for ambiance while they nurse. Plus there was no candle in the holder and nothing to light a candle with even if there was one. Classy, I know. Somehow placing a lighter in the mother’s room doesn’t seem smart. Anyway, after the mother’s room relocated again it became apparent the room needed attention. Whoever set it up originally placed the couch right in front of the door so when you opened the door you would get a full view of whoever is nursing. Not a great set-up if someone who wasn’t a mom happened to walk by the hallway at the same time the door was opening. My biggest vision for the room was clear out the mismatched picture frames, clutter and couches then configure the room into a better flow. Jeremy helped me since most of this project involved moving furniture and hanging things on the wall. I couldn’t do it alone. I’m grateful he shared his valuable time at work to help me out. We moved the wall mounted television to the opposite side of the room. We added a Bible verse vinyl decal above the changing table. A little inspiration for our moms. For the changing table, we bought new storage bins that now house diapers sizes 1-4 and changing table liners so they can use a clean surface every time they change their baby’s diaper. Wipes are also included. The table is now stocked with everything a mom will need. We also added a diaper genie to the room to contain those stinky diapers. Up until now, diapers have just been thrown a way in an open trash can. I figured the room would be a nicer environment if it didn’t smell like a poopy diaper. We bought two matching couches and configured the couches along with the rockers so they could see the TV, but be out of sight when the door is opened. The one thing we kept from the wall art before was a giant mirror. I figured moms might want to do a quick check in the mirror before leaving the room. I know I usually do. There was an old jumper in the room that looked well worn from use (aka gross), so we replaced it with a new jumper and added a bouncer as well. The jumper is good if you want to put your older baby down for a minute and the bouncer will be good for younger babies. The only items that really don’t match now in the room are the rocking chairs, but this remodel was on a budget, so the rocking chairs will be just fine. Plus, my preference would be to use the couches anyway. Below are a few pictures of the final product! I’m so glad to have this room completed and I’m so thankful for all the help Jeremy gave me!
The television will allow moms to watch the service while they take care of their little ones.
The view to the right of the door
View of the whole room
The well stocked changing table
Amy Scott's Thoughts 