Thursday, June 13, 2013

Breastfeeding in Public: It's a Mother's Right

Breastfeeding Sprout at the Christmas Market
If you've been reading my blog for long, you'll probably know I am a breastfeeding advocate. (I've also experienced long-term low supply issues, not to mention a pretty bumpy start with latch & thrush, so I am extremely sympathetic to any mom who's having problems or who chooses to go with formula.) When I hear about cases of discrimination against breastfeeding mothers, it really pisses me off. Particularly when it's close to home.

When I read a post by my friend Lori (aka the Write Mama) about two cases of two different moms being asked to cover up or move while breastfeeding, I was appalled. One was at ABC Family Restaurant in Coquitlam & the other was at a StrongStart program, of all places. (StrongStart is an publicly-funded early childhood education program, aimed at ensuring kids are ready for kindergarten.) Read about how ABC Restaurant has taken steps to improve the situation & the rest of the stories here on The Write Mama.

Having a baby is complicated & difficult enough without people humiliating you in public by telling you that feeding your hungry baby or toddler is somehow offensive. As Lori points out in her post, the BC  Human Rights Code enshrines breastfeeding as a protected right for mothers anywhere:
“It is illegal to discriminate against a woman because she may become pregnant, is pregnant, or has a baby. Nursing mothers have the right to breastfeed their children in a public area, and it is discriminatory to ask them to cover up or breastfeed somewhere else.”
This means in a restaurant, at StrongStart, on the bus, at the park, wherever. When I was breastfeeding Sprout, no-one ever asked me to cover up or leave. & I breastfed him in public a lot. For over two years. I considered it my duty as a breastfeeding advocate to breastfeed in public, without a cover, wherever he was hungry. That meant on the bus, in the park, in restaurants & cafes, in stores, everywhere. For a full list of some of the oddest places I've breastfed, see this post: Baby's Gotta Eat.

Whether you have children or not, it doesn't matter--you can still help. Mothers--especially sleep-deprived, post-partum-hormonal new moms--shouldn't have to deal with being humiliated in public by being told they're offending people. They shouldn't have to defend their rights constantly. If you see someone asking a mom to cover up or leave when she's breastfeeding: please intervene. Tell the waitress or StrongStart teacher or whoever it is that's infringing that mom's rights what the law is.

Here are a few more ways you can help spread the word:
  • Share my post & Lori's on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, tell your friends. 
  • If you own a business, please educate your staff about the law to make sure they don't ever ask a woman to cover up or leave while breastfeeding. It doesn't matter if another patron claims to be uncomfortable--they can move or look away.
  • If you're not in BC, please familiarize yourself with your province's or state's laws that protect breastfeeding. Here is a summary of US state laws & here's a little info for Canadians.
  • If you're currently breastfeeding, keep doing it in public & do it without a cover if you can!

Have you ever been discriminated against for breastfeeding in public? Share your stories here in the comments. & please let me know if you shared this post!


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13 comments:

  1. Love this Lisa. Solidarity Sister!

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    1. Thanks for *your* blog post, Lori--wouldn't have gotten all riled up (read: inspired) without it!

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  2. Glad to know it's considered discrimination in a formal sense. Thanks!

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    1. In BC & Ontario, the laws are explicit about breastfeeding. Elsewhere in Canada it's a bit more vague.

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  3. I've often wished someone would try to tell me to cover up while breastfeeding Callum in public, so that I can educate them firmly. Sadly, I haven't been given the opportunity, and he only nurses in the morning and before bed these days. Oh well, next baby!

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    1. I knjow what you mean! I sometimes suspect that's why no-one every said anything to me. They could see the "I dare you" in my eyes!

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    2. that is exactly how I felt! breastfed two kids for pretty much five years and totally bummed to have never been challenged on not covering up!! Totally because of the f-you vibe I must have given off to anyone who was remotely considering saying something:)

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  4. I've never had any negative comments. Just a lot of smiles from strangers. In our StrongStart, there is a lot of breastfeeding going on. And I don't think I've ever seen anyone using a cover-up. Breastfeeding seems to be more common than bottles there! Yesterday...there were at least 3 babies at our Strongstart who aren't old enough for solids, and breastfed at least 2 or 3 times through the morning. I never breastfed my girls in public though, I couldn't tandem feed with any semblance of modesty.

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    1. I was truly shocked to hear about discrimination like that at a StrongStart. It also baffled me that it was other parents that complained--they should be supporting each other, not making life harder for a breastfeeding mom. Glad to hear you haven't found the same at your StrongStart.

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  5. I am so happy to say that I have never experienced even a whisper of discrimination for nursing in public. I feel our neighbourhood is particularly encouraging of breastfeeding, and it makes me really proud to live in East Van. I even had a fellow mom and her toddler come up and ask if they could watch up close, because mom was due with her second any day and she wanted her toddler to have an idea of what to expect. And I was happy to oblige! I also make a point of making eye contact and smiling at fellow mamas, particularly those who are breastfeeding in public without covering up. Just to let them know I think they are doing something wonderful, not just for their baby, but for the rest of society too.

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    1. Yes! I love East Van. It ain't perfect, but there sure seems to be a pretty wide acceptance of breastfeeding in this neck of the woods. I like to smile at breastfeeding moms too--should have included that in the list of things you can do to help!

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  6. I never encountered any trouble with breastfeeding in public simply because that didn't work for me, but I got an earful from all manner of passersby for bottle-feeding my newborn, because people assumed I was feeding him formula, because for some reason people took the time and effort to assume. It was annoying, and I am not proud of some of the moments where I snapped and tore into people for not minding their own goddamn business.

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    1. Yeah, that bugs me too. I've had friends who never managed to make breastfeeding work, so exclusively pumped & bottle fed. Which is SO MUCH MORE WORK. Even if you know that the woman is formula feeding, you don't know the whole story & what in the world is the point of making her feel horrible?

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