What should I do about breastfeeding in public?

Question

Should I do something about this? I went to the pool at my moms apartment and the lady who checks in the guests TOLD ME I COULDN'T BREASTFEED my 3 week old baby IN PUBLIC. She said I had to go to my car. I decided not to make a big deal about it so I went into the bathroom but I felt so offended by the way she came at me. That is like saying I can't eat in public, I have to go eat on the toilet! Should I say something to the owners or should I write a letter? I feel violated by what she said, like I was doing a bad thing by breastfeeding my baby. I even had a towel to cover her up. Do you have any suggestions or opinions on what I should do?

Answer 1

First of all, breastfeeding is *legal* in public anywhere in the US. In many states, there are laws *specifically* prohibiting anyone from telling a mother she can't nurse wherever she and her baby are legally allowed to be (in fact, in a number of states, the law reads wherever *she* is allowed to be--in other words, a location has to allow a breastfed baby even if babies are normally forbidden). You do *not* have to cover up (although do it if you feel more comfortable).

You should absolutely take action. First of all, if you live in the US, determine what, if any, laws there are in your state (see sources section below). Then write a letter complaining. And you might want to talk to a lawyer.

Answer 2

If she says you have to go to your car next time ask her is she is going to pay the hospital bills if someone happens to hit your parked car. Your baby is not restrained when your feeding in a car and accidents do happen. I am a mother of three children my youngest is 8 weeks old and I will feed her when ever she is hungry. I cover her and myself up and there is no way anyone could see anything. I am not a complete in your face type of person. I try to be descrete and sit in a place that is not right in the middle of a public place, but when my baby is hungry I am not going to stop what I am doing, get in a car with a screaming child, and drive myself home to feed my baby. And I will **NEVER** sit in a bathroom to feed my child.

Answer 3

I would report it. They cant not allow you to nurse in public. I was at a Taco Bell once and they asked me to go to the bathroom or my car and my husband got into the guys face and it was a mess. There were managers and police and it was just crazy. But there is no place you cant nurse in public. When I take my 5 month old for a walk if he gets hungry I stop wherever I am and nurse.
But I would call the manager and if that doesn't resolve I would call the building owners.

Answer 4

WHAT A B*#@H!!! I am offended for you! Absolutely report her and if that doesn't work I'd go higher up the ladder. As long as you are discrete and don't flash boob etc. there is NO reason why you can't nurse in public. Half the time people don't even notice you're doing it if it's done discretely. I would have thrown a fit if that happened to me. Keep your head up and don't let other people bully you because you're trying to raise a healthy nurtured baby. You can buy tanktops that have nursing access and use a light weight blanket to cover up. God Bless & keep it up.

Answer 5

I had a similar incident when I was nursing my son but that was 22 years ago I thought that kind of small mindedness was a thing of the past. You make sure to raise a fuss about this. She had no right, legal or moral, to keeping you from feeding your baby. I would call the management, follow it up with a letter, and then write to the editor of your local newspaper. Good for you for giving your baby the very best start you can.

Answer 6

Unfortunately if you live in the US people are weird about that kind of thing. If it were somewhere in like lets say europe then youd have no problem. However since this society is so sensitive about nudity and such a natural process as breast feeding then i guess i would just not do it in public even though i believe you should still have the right to.

Answer 7

I breasfed my son in public. I breastfed him in the bathroom a lot, though, because sometimes people seemed uncomfortable seeing me. My son is my first and only baby and I was not very experienced and hence good at how to drape the cloth over his head. I wanted to see him eat to make sure he had a good hold of it.

I would not go out to the car, especially in this hot weather. I would not want to go there anymore but would rather go to a place that was friendly to brestfeeding mothers. You could always ask them ahead of time before putting yourself in that situation. I know when your baby is hungry, he is not going to want to wait for very long for you to have to find a place to feed him. these things have to be planned out so there are no surprises.

Answer 8

What an idiot. You should have told her to call the police if she thought you were breaking the law or something. Go ahead and write the letter.

Let's get over our hang ups. Would this really be a difficult thing to explain to a child? If my daughter asked me I would have no trouble explaining it to her.

And Tim, if you dont like it dont look. Breasts were made for feeding babies. Sorry if I sound sexist but that is the way it is.

Answer 9

I would write a letter to the owners...there is no law against breast feeding in public...sounds like you were discreet about it. I would write the letter that you want a formal apology, and if you don't get it...you will go to the media. Your child needs to eat, so they eat. You don't eat in the bathroom or a car do you??

Answer 10

in most states, the feeding of human milk is protected by law.

you should tell the lady you will call the police if she harasses you again. you should never ever refrain from feeding your baby in public. giving in to these sick-minded people only encourages them. some people are offended by the existance of gays or by interracial dating. who cares what the sick and narrow and completely ignorant are offended by?

If the law isn't on your side yet, you should stand up for your child and all other children and nurse your child at the pool in public and force that woman to call the police on you. then, get many other women to join you in a nurse-in. the pool lady will lose big-time.