Just when you thought that we didn’t need a World Breastfeeding Awareness week, yet another mother, this time a young mom in Berea, Kentucky, is asked to leave a restaurant for breastfeeding her child. Kentucky actually has a law that forbids public interference of a breastfeeding mother, but because she was not breastfeeding when the police arrived (who threatened to charge her with criminal trespassing if she did not leave), the police did not enforce the law.
The McDonald’s has since apologized to the mother, but sadly, this situation is too often repeated, not only in restaurants, malls, and other public places, but on the internet as well — most recently with a mom’s breastfeeding pictures being banned from Facebook.
As evidenced by numerous comments on a YouTube Breastfeeding montage created by the League of Maternal Justice (in protest of the Facebook Photo bannings), people still compare public breastfeeding to public urination and masturbation, and insist that it’s inappropriate for women to expose themselves in order to feed their children.
With a long list of arguments that most breastfeeding mothers and breastfeeding supporters could list, there are still many people in society who are aware and may appreciate the benefits of breastfeeding, when it comes to doing it in public, it’s still amazing how many people in this country specifically are uncomfortable.
It’s apparent that World Breastfeeding Week, along with organizations such as the La Leche League and Breastfeeding is Normal, are essential in the fight to bring the much needed awareness of breastfeeding, most specifically breastfeeding in public, to folks who may not understand that we can’t always just go somewhere and hide when we need to feed our children.
Of course, I can’t help but point out the irony of a woman being asked to leave McDonald’s, a restaurant that is attempting to promote family friendly eating with their new “healthy” menu. Apparently apples and caramel (mmm, healthy!) and juice boxes are cool.
But breastmilk? Not on their list.
[This post was written by Kristen Chase.]
I get *SO* mad hearing shit like this! I’m in Louisville and dare someone to say something to me whilst nursing my son!!!
I was asked to stop breastfeeding on an Amtrak train, and this was in California, where that’s clearly illegal, and only about a year and a half ago, when I’m sure it WAS clearly illegal. But I was young and alone and suddenly embarrassed. I stopped, my son (naturally) started screaming, and then the conductor, the same one who had told me I was offending other passengers, had the audacity to ask me if there wasn’t anything I could do to calm down my baby.
I haven’t ridden the train since, which doesn’t send much of a message, and I feel like too much time has gone by now to really complain about it to the company.
So they’ll let you eat total crap full of chemicals and god knows what, but they’ll kick you out for eating something completely natural and nutritious? Yeah, that sounds about right for McDonald’s. It’s just as well they kicked that mom out, otherwise she’ll ingest that schlock they call food and pass it on to her baby.
I’m so sorry, Grace. It’s difficult to deal with the situation at hand when it’s happening because I bet it’s so shocking.
I WISH that there were by-laws against breastfeeding in public. THERE SHOULD BE. I nor anyone else wants to see that. It’s disgusting for others to see and should be done in a bathroom or public lactation room… not in a restaurant (which I’ve made a HUGE scene at for seeing this act done at the table next to me… and yes that “mother” was asked to leave… she refused the police showed up and ESCORTED HER OUT! GOOD FOR THEM… and yes everyone APPLAUDED in the restaurant !!) or park or mall etc…. I understand it’s a natural thing and I am pro breastfeeding as oppose to bottle/formula BUT IN PUBLIC? NO. Farting and burping and scratching your ass is natural too. So maybe I’ll just saddle up next to one of the people in the park or mall and let the smelliest fart rip! Why not it’s natural…. oh yeah, so is talking a crap…. so I’ll just do that on the floor next to her feet….. GET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS WHERE YOU BELONG!
This is quite extreme. Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing and there are issues on both sides of the debate. A lady should not have to feed in a bathroom, but, she should also not pull out her boob in a public place where everyone can see and proceed to nurse. If women would just be discreet and decent about it, there would probably never be a complaint. There are women that like to push the limits and have their way no matter what, and show entirely too much of their private body. Usually this is the LaLeche group. Not always. Why would anyone want to post a picture on facebook or any other website of their breastfeeding baby? Would you really want some guy relieving himself while he sees your baby feeding? And what about when the child gets older? What if somebody pulls out a picture of it in his high school and ruins his life with a breast feeding picture? I really think that women are so bent on being right that they aren’t thinking at all of their baby.
By the way….. why can’t they pump the breast before they leave the house… bottle it and give the bottle to the child?
Are you serious? Comparing breastfeeding to shitting and waste products? You’re weird.
Bottles work differently than the breast. Some babies will not take a bottle. Pumps can’t work for some mothers.
I don’t believe you made a huge scene or any of your bullshit story. Nobody applauded.
I bet you have seen many nursing mothers but you couldn’t tell what they were doing. You probably though the baby was asleep. Please don’t go out in public.
Recently I made a valid complaint to McDonalds customer services dept. about McDonalds poor standards at thier Harben Parade branch at Swiss Cottage, London NW3. The complaint concerned slow service, abrasive attitudes, and matters about unacceptable hygeine standards.
The complaint was passed on to the store by customer services, following which the store’s manager, Bakry, promptly banned me from the store. He did not deny that my complaint was valid, but was told that I was banned simply becauseI I had made the complaint in the first place.
Perhaps this is consistent with McDonalds training practices. It would appear that you have to accept their adverse practices without question or suffer the consequences, as I myself did.
i think that women should be allowed to breastfeed in public places. but i can see why they would not want a woman to expose her self in public because her breasts are a private thing and men whom arent her husband dont need to see all that… just cover it all up. and that will solve everyones arguments
lets make the world a more peaceful place for both mom and baby.
Perhaps this is consistent with McDonalds training practices. It would appear that you have to accept their adverse practices without question or suffer the consequences, as I myself did.
i take offese to this as a breastfeeding mother. 1 its good for your child and cheaper. 2 ya you can pump but them you have to bring a cooler and then heat it back up and i cannot be heated in the baby bottle because of the plastic leeching into the milk. i wanna know what the world has come to when there are mostly naked women and men posted on tv billboards and everywhere you look. but caring for your child is nasty. as americans you should be ashmed of your selfs we are the only country that has made breasts into a sexual thing. its also not good for a baby to go from breast to bottle because they feel different in their mouth and can casue nipple confusion. let moms be moms and if you dont wanna see it then remove yourself why starve an inoccent baby and make a mother feel bad about doing something that is natural in the first place.