PROVIDENCE – A unique gift shop known as Nursing Moms Etc., offering the essentials for new mothers including breastfeeding equipment, recently closed down at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence.
Care New England Health System, which owns the Women & Infants, was not able to provide specifics about the impact on employees who worked there. But the company said breast pump rentals and other services provided by Nursing Moms, Etc. are still being offered at the hospital.
“The Women & Infants Hospital retail space Nursing Moms, which was not a lactation support center, is being reconfigured to better serve the needs of patients,” said Raina Smith, a spokesperson for Care New England. “Everything that was previously provided at Nursing Moms is still readily available at Women & Infants Hospital, including breast pump rentals and other supplies.”
Smith was not able to provide any further information about plans for the space, and couldn’t say if Nursing Moms, Etc. could possibly re-open.
The retail store, which was open seven days per week, was dedicated to helping new mothers with all their initial needs for taking care of a newborn during his or her first week of life.
In addition to breastfeeding equipment, the store offered onesies for newborns, nursing gowns for new mothers, literature on breastfeeding, and special items made for premature babies.
The store also partnered with the Cranston-based Alexander’s Uniforms to sell scrubs for hospital employees, along with other name brand uniforms made by Koi, Cherokee, and Healing Hands.
The store was a joint venture of the Women & Infants Auxiliary and the Women & Infants Health Education Department
Proceeds from the store helped support patient programs at the hospital, including “Warm Line,” which is a telephone assistance program staffed by registered nurses that helps new parents in Rhode Island with questions and quandaries related to their new baby.
The small, glass-enclosed store was located on the first floor of the 101 Dudley St. hospital, next to the South Pavilion Gift Shop.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @LaRockPBN.
