Augh. It’s happened again.
A woman began to breastfeed in the Science World museum when a volunteer directed her to the nursing room. Because Kristen George was with her 23-month-old and her 8-week-old nursling, she stayed put, keeping an eye on one child while soothing the infant.
I’ve always felt a little self-conscious, so I usually pump and bring a bottle, but I had forgotten it this time.
George was in the section of the museum specifically for infants and kids, and says she was wearing a baggy shirt that covered her. She says she was approached by a young man who asked her to move. Then when she responded that she wasn’t “doing anything wrong,” he said what she was doing was,
Morally wrong
His words were loud enough to catch the attention of other parents, now making something otherwise mostly overlooked into a spectacle. Fabulous.
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He reprimanded and embarrassed her so much that she left with her children. George said he was smirking as she struggled to collect her toddler with her now-screaming infant in her arms.
She complained to Science World, which says it has changed its orientation policy for volunteers so that they are well-acquainted with being breastfeeding-friendly.The museum says that the volunteer in question was embarrassed after the fact and cited his age as being the factor in his ridiculing this woman. Yeah, because when something makes a teenager uncomfortable, they often march up and confront it.
We were extremely upset that this incident happened. Clearly it’s against the policy, practice and philosophy of our institution.
Though Science World offered to give her a free extension on her family’s membership, all George wants is an apology. She says the incident has made her become an accidental lactivist.
I’ve always used a hooter-hider to cover up. Now I want to burn it. By covering up am I also spreading the belief that breastfeeding is dirty?
Image and Story: Vancouver Sun
Being from BC Canada.. I’ll point out, it is perfectly legal for women to walk around topless in BC…
The pissant at the science center should be fired.
As a Vancouverite who has breastfed at Science World, I was horrified by this story. I am very glad that Science World has taken steps to see that this doesn’t happen again. I feel deeply for Kristen, and I hope that she is able to find some peace and closure, knowing full well that she did NOTHING WRONG.
It’s so disappointing that institutions only seem to become proactive about educating their staff and volunteers after incidents like this happen. Why not avoid the problem in the first place by being proactive? Why does it take a humiliated mother to clarify your policy?
Oh man, that is beyond messed up. I woulod have bitten back, and it would have started with “listen here, little boy..”
I’m surprised none of the other parents spoke up. I don’t consider myself an activist, but if I saw someone harassing a nursing mother I would have said something in her support.
West coast BC is generally very, very liberal… I lived out there for a couple years in fact. That’s really surprising that it would happen there. I chalk it up to one idiot staffer and not a general policy, though it shouldn’t have escalated to a point where she felt she had to leave. You’d think that with any kind of confrontation, with a non-cooperative (for good reason or ill reason) patron, additional staff (and higher-ups) would be pulled in to sort things out.
“By covering up am I also spreading the belief that breastfeeding is dirty?” That’s a complex question. On the one hand… yes, I think it does. It’s saying that I SHOULD cover up, and so there must be a reason why it’s bad NOT to cover up. But on the other hand, there’s also the level of personal comfort and choice involved, and women should not be FORCED to not cover up if they’d rather cover up!
Don’t get me going on the name “hooter hider” though lol… that says it all right there.
I agree with Alexa–I would have spoken up for this mama. Poor thing! It’s one of those incidences where you run through your head all of the things you WISH you had said in the moment but were too shocked and embarrassed to do so…After a year of nursing, I haven’t had any comments or even any looks–the only comment I’ve had is the typical “you’re STILL nursing”? I always reply “The WHO recommends bf’ing for at least a year…” and they just say “oh”…*sigh*
Like Amber, I too am happy Science World it taking steps to prevent this from happening again. So often organizations defend themselves and their staff, which makes the original offense that much worse.
Still, I am always surprised to hear *yet another* story like this in the news. I’m sure it happens much more often that we know.
When reading about her experience, I could so easily imagine her distress over the situation. A baby just needed to eat and a toddler needed to play. How many times have I been in the exact situation!
Great question about covering up! I’m still sorting out how I feel about it. What’s nature and what’s nurture/society, etc.?
Meanwhile, my second child is almost 17 months and I’ve fed both children in many situations with varying degrees of covering/not covering. Sometimes a blanket over her removes the distractions so she can focus on breastfeeding. Sometimes she pops off to grin and someone may see a nipple *horrors!* (sarcastic)
Yikes!
Although, every time I hear one of these stories there is part of me that thinks this is good press. Women are well educated of their rights and we are well connected via all this spang-dangled new technology and I think the more we hear these stories (even though they are upsetting) the more the public can hear the truth about how normal bfing is. Thanks for keeping us in the know Cate.
M O R A L L Y W R O N G?!? It is the science center’s obligation to uphold morality (whose???)? That boy should have been fired and a public apology made. How DARE they allow that behavior and gloss it over with a free membership extension.
If I choose to wear a 1 piece bathing suit with a sarong for modesty at the beach or swimming pool, nobody would question me. But if I use a nursing cover for modesty, that’s a problem?
I fully support a woman’s right to nurse in public without using a cover if that’s what she wants. But for myself, I personally feel more comfortable using one. I just don’t care to show that much skin to strangers regardless of the reason why. It’s not that I think there’s something “dirty” about nursing, I just want to keep my body private.
Well, I am glad they changed their policy, but really, that volunteer should have to write or call in an apology to the mom. How horrible.. to be told that feeding your child is morally wrong. OMG.
Also, about covering up? I HAVE to, or else my 10 month old is so distracted by whatever is going on that he is off and on, off and on.. or worse craning his neck, taking me with him! Ouch! He really good with a cover or at home, but mix in a new and exciting place and all sorts of people and he’s just so not focused on the task, even if he’s hungry. So, yeah, the cover really comes in handy in public, busy places, for me, at least.
I am so sick of women being embarrassed and humiliated because they are nursing their babies. You know people are stupid. I even argue with my husband over this, he is one of those guys with issue thinking women need to cover up or have a “room” to feed the babies in.
Sure I covered up because I am just like that but to be banished to a “room” while feeding why? Why should nursing mothers be sent off to special room instead of ebing with everyone else.
I always covered up quite well with my own clothing and seldom used a blanket or other cover because the kiddos pulled them off and left me exposed… so I became very adept at covering with my own clothing and not showing skin… this was accomplished usually by wearing a t-shirt or tank under a zip up hoodie or cardigan sweater… then I could zip or button the bottom of the top layer and lift the under layer. No exposer. I never… in 5 years of breastfeeding in very public locations experienced any harassment, though I did receive plenty of looks ranging from disgust to simple curiosity. I think the decision to cover is important, though you don’t need to drape… we don’t visit the mall or restaurant and expect nudity (like we might at some beaches, where we will at least encounter skimpy swim wear)… so I can understand people being a little offended by full exposure breastfeeding… not at all because of the breastfeeding, because it is natural, good and right… but because BAM… there’s a boob or two showing, which catches most of us off guard. I’ve always felt that the best way to promote breastfeeding is to do it well and discretely. There is no reason I needed to show my breasts off to the whole world, but at the same time, I wasn’t worried about a tiny bit of skin becoming exposed if a baby popped off.
Being banished, asked to leave, reprimanded, etc… is absolutely inappropriate even if the mother does have a lot of skin exposure. Breastfeeding is no different than animals feeding their young which we’ve all seen (not to mention other animal behaviors on exhibit) on a visit to the zoo or farm.
i am proud of the mom in the story. silence was the best she could do in the moment. glad she didn’t say anything negative as i feel i would have. moms, we should all practice what we’d do/say in this very situation! i am in CT and i get some funny stares!!! there are ways of nursing cover-less, as i’m sure this mom was doing, without much exposure at all. i’ll admit that the latch is hard to do without showing nips, so sometimes i throw a bib over the top of my chest till DS latches. no need to hang em both out, lol. i see how that would be inappropriate at a family area, but i don’t think that the mom was drawing attention to herself, rather, she was nursing modestly – especially if no patrons made any fuss – after all, they have children in the area, so my guess is they think anything of it. that teenager didn’t want to ruin his idea of boobs. i think the breasts should be seen performing their function regularly so the public gets used to seeing women’s bodies for what they really are rather than a fashion accessory.
Thanks for posting your story. I was told I could not breastfeed in two different museums this month. The law in both states (CO and AZ) where this occurred is that mothers can breastfeed in ANY private or public location. I don’t know what it is about museums but they are the only places I have had trouble with breastfeeding. I’ve got good supply fortunately but it is well nigh impossible for me to hit an exhibit with a stream of milk from one of the benches. I am discreet but do not use a cover because when my fussy baby needs food, taking several minutes to find and arrange it just leads to a lot of staring! It is an eye opener to me that people are offended by breastfeeding. Depending on your perspective, breasts are God-given or evolved expressly for this purpose!
Nursing mothers should use something to cover up. I am a woman and I find it disgusting that women want to be exhibitionist and nurse in public but the least they can do is cover up.