We’re longing for the day when a mom can breastfeed her baby anywhere she damn well pleases without feeling ashamed or humiliated. Not only is it a completely natural act, designed purely to keep babies alive, it’s illegal to stop a woman from breastfeeding in any public or private place in every single U.S. state. Really, what’s so difficult to understand? It’s normal, it’s natural, it’s legal. Leave moms and their hungry babies alone, people.
Victoria’s Secret
Texas law allows moms to breastfeed anywhere, but one mom of a 4-month-old was still polite enough to ask a Victoria’s Secret sales clerk if she could use the fitting room to nurse her child. She was shocked when another staff member intervened to say no, she couldn’t — and directed her outside to a nearby alley. Surely breastfeeding shouldn’t be an issue in a store plastered with images of women’s breasts? Victoria’s Secret finally apologized to the mom, but only after local media picked up the story. Shame on you, VS.
American Girl
Surely places frequented by moms more than anyone else should offer a comfortable, supportive breastfeeding environment? Not only that, but places that sell themselves on being family-friendly and female-friendly in particular. What message does it give little girls when a woman is sent to the fitting room of an American Girl store in tears because she wanted to nurse her child? Her husband later tweeted about the incident, which took place in American Girl’s flagship store in New York, revealing how upset his wife was. Not cool.
Babies ‘R’ Us
Babies ‘R’ Us, apparently, but not breastfeeding babies. When a Montreal mom found the baby room at her local store was already occupied, she took herself to a quiet corner to begin nursing. She was approached by a staff member who told her to stop and use the baby room and then insisted they check together that it was in fact empty. Upon discovering it had been vacated, the mom was disgusted at the state of the stinky, dirty room and refused to use it. She was told quite clearly that it was her only option, so she had to leave the store. What is it about these so-called “family-friendly” stores making breastfeeding moms feel like crap?
Hospital waiting room
You’d think a hospital — home of educated medical professionals — would be one place a nursing mom would feel comfortable feeding her hungry child. Well, not always. In December 2013, one new mother ended up in tears after nurses stopped her from breastfeeding her baby in the waiting room of a U.K. hospital. Gemma Murphy, 37, said nurses ushered her into a private room because she risked “upsetting other patients” — despite the fact that none of the other women in the waiting room had complained.
Family court
When “family” comes before “court,” you’d think that all members of the family would be welcome. But one new mom realized this wasn’t the case at a Connecticut family court. Danielle Gendron, who was there to testify in a case, was kicked out of a courtroom for breastfeeding her 3-month-old son. In Connecticut, women have the right to breastfeed in any public or private location. How completely ridiculous that Gendron was stopped from doing that, and not just in any old place — in the very place that passes such laws.
Kiddicare
Oh, the delicious irony of a store that sells everything a mom could possibly need for her baby deciding to stop one mother from doing what is possibly the most natural act between a woman and her child. When 29-year-old Rebecca Lunt was breastfeeding her 12-week-old daughter in the in-store café of a Kiddicare branch in Liverpool, England, she was told to stop and go elsewhere. Hopefully she went to a whole other store, bought her baby essentials there and told all her friends to do the same.
Church
We weren’t aware that public breastfeeding was a mortal sin, but hey, religion is a funny old thing. In 2013, a nursing mom — and volunteer youth leader in the Mormon church — caused a major stink for feeding her child in her local chapel. Apparently she subsequently lost her youth leader role and was told to not nurse in church again if she wanted to avoid further punishment. This is wrong on so many levels, but ultimately, anyone who thinks it’s wrong for a mother to breastfeed in a place of worship needs to pray — for themselves.
Swimming pool
Babies are welcome at public swimming pools — but only if they have full bellies, it seems. Sadly there’s no shortage of stories about nursing moms being removed from pools for daring to meet their child’s needs. In January 2013, Australian mother Liana Webster left Bribie Island Aquatic Leisure Centre in Queensland in tears after being humiliated by staff who told her to not breastfeed out in the open. In May 2016, a public swimming pool in the Isle of Man, U.K., paid a woman £2,000 (about $2,600 U.S.) after a two-year dispute over her removal from the pool for breastfeeding her then-4-month-old daughter on a step on the central island of the baby pool.
Café
When mom Kelly Schaecher was told by a waiter that she “was being impolite” by breastfeeding her 5-month-old baby at Park Café in Bristol, England, and told to move to the corner, she shared her experience online. Hundreds of nursing moms quickly got behind her, resulting in a mass breastfeeding protest at the same café a few days later.
Library
It’s great that a public library has a dedicated “nursing room” for breastfeeding mothers. But Kelle Perkins’ experience at her local library in North Carolina is a reminder that these spaces should be a great option for a mom, but not her only option. As Perkins was breastfeeding her 2-month-old in the library computer lab while she finished her work, a member of staff told her in no uncertain terms that she would have to move to the nursing room if she wanted to continue.
School bleachers
So who spends time at school apart from kids and teachers? Parents, right? Because, um, they’re kind of involved with the whole education thing. And parents often have other kids who are not quite old enough to go to school yet. Babies, you might say. Because… family. So surely a school is going to be a breastfeeding-friendly kind of place?
Not always. Proud aunt Maegan Shoemaker happened to be nursing her 8-month-old daughter in the bleachers of a Florida elementary school while watching her niece’s track practice. She was stunned to be approached by the principal — yes, the principal — and asked to stop. The craziness doesn’t stop there. When Shoemaker stood her ground and pointed out that she was entitled to breastfeed her child wherever necessary, the principal banned her from ever setting foot on the campus again.
Dillard’s
Wittney Hope was breastfeeding her baby girl at a Dillard’s in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when a member of staff told she she couldn’t “do that” in the store and ordered her to go to the bathroom. The shocked mom was struck by the irony of the massive poster of a pair of boobs displayed on the wall of the store, which just points out how ridiculous these negative attitudes toward breastfeeding in public are.
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