| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| rabbithorns |
Posted - Jul 03 2006 : 7:41:16 PM
I never had to burn my bra back in the day because I never wore one; I'm pretty small. The best days are when I breastfed. Looked like a million - gallons! But dh read me an article that there was a breastfeeding protest in Wisconsin, I think, when a nursing mom who worked at a local Victoria's Secret was asked to nurse in the bathroom because all the fitting rooms were being used.
A little ironic, you think? 
In all fairness, VS says it was a local mistake as they have very nice policies and are pro-nursing.
http://www.rabbithorns.etsy.com |
| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| sillyfoulks |
Posted - Aug 14 2006 : 12:12:02 PM
I only had one incident regarding nursing when my children were young. We where at a local walmart, standing in line at the return desk. A little one was getting a little fussy, and the checker asked if she was tired. I said no, she was hungry, that it was close to feeding time. I had said nothing at all about whether or not she was being breastfeed. However, the clerk pointed out that I could use the fitting room to feed her. I was rather stunned. She was so quick in her reply, I wondered if she was afraid I would just whip it out right there in front of her. The funny thing was she was worried over nothing, I had no intention of feed her there. We lived just a couple minutes from the store, and it was much easier to nurse in the comfort of my own home.
Elizabeth
http://livingcountrystyle.blogspot.com/ |
| ladybugsmom6 |
Posted - Aug 08 2006 : 10:49:26 AM
WOW! I wish I had known about the nurse in! I would have made the hour trip just to make the point. I am never quite sure how to handle the little ones who want to see baby and ask questions, but people who come around me and my 7 little ones have come to expect blatant honesty about life and education. Many people believe I am a bit Radical, nursing, homeschooling, avoiding sugar at all costs. My circle is quite small these days but strangers seldom know I am nursing because I always carry baby in a sling and you can never tell if she is nursing or sleeping! When Baby was a month and two old, I ade a few take a second look because they thought I was wearing a purse, until they saw a tiny foot or hand wiggle free! Those are my favorite shocked faces! " You have a BABY in there!" " Why YES, I do!" My babies are safer and healthier wrapped up on me than in a cold carrier.
-Tami
now ladybugsmom7 |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Jul 23 2006 : 09:49:04 AM
Kate, I would not settle for a blown off e-mail. I would call until they let you talk to someone in charge. Do you remember the employee's name or was this a long time ago? I was once told to go to the bathroom to finish nursing my son at the Indianapolis Children's Museum (the nature section!) by this poor young girl. I immediately stood up so that I would be at eye level with her (my son never lost his "latch") and simply said, "why?" repeatedly. She finally, after stammering for a moment, said, "I don't know, my superviser told me to, let me go ask him." She never came back. I was so mad. I called when I got home and had calmed down a little and asked a woman working in the office about their policy on breastfeeding and she pleasantly told me about the lovely room they have just for that. It is a really nice room with comfortable couches and it's nice and quiet with books and toys for your older children. I kept asking her if that was the only place I was allowed to nurse and I don't think she could wrap her head around what I was asking at first. When she finally realized what had happened to me she couldn't apologize enough and I helped her figure out who the "superviser" was and she apologized again and let me know that he would be apprised of the museum's policy on breastfeeding. So, often I think it is an individual employee who takes it upon themselves to make up their own policy that suits their own discomforts about women's bodies.
My kids are well beyond the nursing stage (14 and 11) but this kind of thing still gets me steamed.
**edit** I found a story on the Victoria's Secret incident that says the woman wasn't an employee of the store, she was passing by and asked if she could use one of their dressing rooms. It didn't seem like she was even necessarily a customer at the time. I'm not sure I understand the whole thing. Why didn't she just sit on a bench in the mall? Maybe I'm not reading the right article.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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| julia hayes |
Posted - Jul 18 2006 : 07:17:11 AM
What a tale! Certainly not the family supportive environment that I believe the Disney execs would really want if they would just get out of their Disney box and think about it for a minute! Geez.. I think that's the main problem here and in most situations. People simply can not think out of the box. People don't feel comfortable challenging authority and someone else's ideas. That young girl must have been told in her training that the nursing/baby area is way over there and to politely encourage women to go there, blah, blah, blah.. I'm assuming she probably doesn't have children herself so she would not have the life experience to question that directive nor could she be empathetic toward other mothers and think for herself. I also firmly believe that there are people who think they are in authoritative positions who love to be confrontational and pick fights! People....we're such weird and and quirky creatures!
Happy nursing wherever and whenever!
Julia Hayes
being simple to simply be |
| katiedid |
Posted - Jul 18 2006 : 04:38:27 AM
Vanessa
Yes the other women were very kind, and I think angrier than I was...they gave a better argument. I was just shocked at first. The longer I thought about it, the madder I got.
I guess I was shocked because having a woman breast feed is something I don't even notice, I am around it alot and it isn't even on my radar.
I did notice during our trip that women were nursing other places in Disneyland...I think maybe that one employee just had a problem with me, I don't think it is Disneylands policy, If it were, they would be breaking the law.
Thanks for your support. We gals gotta stick together.
Kate |
| Vanessa |
Posted - Jul 17 2006 : 8:49:29 PM
Kate-
No problem. If you go to the LLL site, they have all the info for every state. :) It's hard to deal with confrontational people in a situation that should be so straight-forward. At least the other women were kind to you. |
| katiedid |
Posted - Jul 17 2006 : 5:53:13 PM
Vanessa
Thanks for letting me know... I wasn't sure what the law was in Cali.
Kate |
| Vanessa |
Posted - Jul 17 2006 : 2:24:29 PM
Kate-
It was your legal right to nurse there. That's too bad. :( I guess I've gotten a few too many looks because I have started researching the law in states before I go on vacation.
Cal. Civ. Code §43.3
1997 Cal ALS 59; 1997 Cal AB 157; Stats 1997 ch 59
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, except the private home or residence of another, where the mother and child are authorized to be present.
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| cmandle |
Posted - Jul 16 2006 : 7:57:19 PM
Oh Kate! I'm steaming mad with you! I would have been so furious...I can't imagine the words that would have come out of my mouth! I was sheepish about nursing my Jackson (6mos) in public at the beginning, but now I just whip it out. I usually cover with a receiving blanket, but that's more for my comfort than worrying about others (and yes, he's quite the slurping-active-eater too!). I fed him in bathrooms when we visited San Francisco three months ago and I'm still kicking myself for making my son eat near toilets. Never again! He eats where I eat! End of story!!
Catherine |
| katiedid |
Posted - Jul 16 2006 : 2:07:05 PM
OK, sisters, I got a story for you...actually two stories.
First has to do with the Victoria Secret nurse in...which was great here in SLC! I made some new friends....here's my story:
I was shopping at the mall, and walked by VS, about oh, 3 months ago, in the big huge door, is a bigger-than-life sized picture of a topless woman holding her breasts in her palms wearing only tiny underpants...I have nothing against women's bodies, or nudity in general but it REALLY makes me angry that industries use women's bodies in advertising....anyhow, the pic bugged me, I marched in the store with my 4 daughters in tow and asked to see the manager, I proceeded to tell her that I wanted my kids to grow up having respect and appreciation for themselves and other women, that I don't think we should use sex to sell cars, beer, chocolate, shampoo, etc...I told her that I understand that VS is a lingere store, but I would appreciate it if they would move the huge picture to the inside of the store....she was nice, and believe it or not, I got an email from her thanking mr. I was nice. See, I believe "you get more bees with honey"
But I want my girls to know that boobs aren't just for selling cars and beer!
Second story:
Last fall we took our family to Disneyland..while dh took the older girls on a ride, I found a shady bench to nurse the baby...it was a crowded day, and two ladies were on the other end of the bench, I asked them if it would bug them if I nursed..super nice ladies said, "go ahead" we chatted about where they were from, how many kids they have etc....
Here comes a young woman wearing a Disneyland uniform and name tag...she says to me
"YOu can't do that here."
I say "Do what?"
She says "Nurse your baby, we have a nursing room, near the end of Main St. That's where you need to go. You can finish now, but the next time, you need to go there."
I am shocked, because I know others are sometimes sensitive to nursing in public, I had been using a recieving blanket, No skin was showing.
I say "You are kidding, right, I am not going to walk 2 miles across the park everytime my 3 mo. old needs to eat."
Then the ladies I am sharing a bench with jump in, one was really mad..She said "I just saw someone smoking, putting my kids at risk, go tell them they need to smoke somewhere else."
Disneygirl says "We try to keep the atmosphere of Disneyland the same as it would be in any of our cartoons."
I say "oh, you can kill Simbas Dad, or Bambi's mother, But nourishing my baby is too riske for kids to see in Disneyland?!?!"
"Teenage girls can walk around with their fanny hanging out, and their breasts popping out of their shirts, young men have the F word on their shirt, but I can't nurse my baby?"
The Disneyland employee girl kind of starts to get nervous, and just walks away....
I was really steamed, and the more I thought about it the angrier I got. By the time dh got back he got an earfull! He was madder than I was...he said "You should have asked her if she would like to sit on the crapper while she eats her lunch!"
I sent and email complaining to Disneyland, but never got an answer back....
Our family has enjoyed Disneyland vacations, but I am not sure I want to go back!! I want to spend money somewhere that supports a "healthy" family!!!
Thanks for letting me vent
Kate |
| rabbithorns |
Posted - Jul 04 2006 : 7:22:22 PM
Back in the day, when we were raised to be "free" and do what feels good, I think we never thought about it one bit. I nursed anywhere, anytime, never hid anything although I wasn't blatant - I just truly believe nothing showed. My kids never really cried because of that and I took them everywhere. Fussy? Shove a breast at them and no problems. Actually as a hippie, I couldn't have cared less who saw what - that's what breasts are for!
The only time anyone commented was when an old woman passed by me twice on a NYC street until she came up and asked if I was feeding my baby. She was in her 70's or 80's and had never seen an American feed her own child. She'd been in the US probably since the 1940's or 50's. She was very happy.
http://www.rabbithorns.etsy.com |
| _Rebecca_ |
Posted - Jul 04 2006 : 12:46:52 PM
Your stories are cracking me up! My children gulp so loudly and burp so voraciously and usually think dinner time is time to fill their diaper! Also, they get way too distracted by other people and usually won't nurse because there is too much going on, so I have to go in a bathroom. Yuk! It's either that or I feel like I will burst!
Usually whenever I bf around town here in OKC I get very encouraging comments. Especially from older women. I have never had an incident about nursing where someone has told me to go somewhere else. I have had little kids come up and ask me what the heck my baby is doing! Usually their moms are more embarrassed than I am.
Kid's gotta eat, you gotta feed 'em!
My set of milk containers look pretty good until around 6 months of nursing and then they go back to their fallen state. After this 4th child is born I am not getting my hopes up, but it would be lovely if my 'girls' would eventually return to their former lattitude instead of hanging towards the equator aka my waist.
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·.
Wife of Jonathan, Mother of Joel, Caitlyn, Elia |
| Whimsy_girl |
Posted - Jul 04 2006 : 11:59:58 AM
Oh Julie thats great!!! I was a little more of a weenie than that!
I did ok with Kaylee in public because she was such a mellow child, I got weird or dirty looks from time though.. Once in a restauraunt I was about to go sit in the ladies room because some lady just couldn't stop staring like she was totally grossed out, and my mother in law(wonderful lady) commented very loudly that "You have no business hiding in the bathroom because someone is making nasty faces, no one likes to eat where other people **** especially my granddaughter"
Which I took as a great reminder to think about my babies more than total strangers who make nasty faces.
Now Halsey on the other hand had a heck of a time latching on, plus she had reflux and tummy troubles so there were times when she would thrash around and make a mess, and I was too scared to even try in public because she would just get mad and start bucking around. In fact with her, unless I wanted to come out of the operation totally drenched I would have to take off my whole shirt, so I just made sure to pump before going anywhere..I think she was so frustrated with me that she didn't want to even try any more, I would get set to nurse and the second she knew what we were up to she would just scream at it.. she had a hard time latching on to ANYTHING but the old style latex playtex nipples.. we eventually tried everything on the market with her before we found something that worked. She never used a binky so I don't think it was nipple confusion.. I just think she associated me with the reflux.
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
| julia hayes |
Posted - Jul 04 2006 : 11:25:43 AM
I've been nursing for 5 years now and with a 3rd one on the way I can imagine nursing for another 3 years! Zoinks!!! Still, I feel very lucky that I've had very few 'incidents' where people approached me with their discomfort. When it has happened I came up some very queenly responses...completely full-of-myself..totally off-putting to other individual..definitely giving me a sense of empowerment that I put them in their place.
I was sitting in a Mall waiting for friend nursing my babe on a bench when a women (poor thing didn't know what she was in for) approached me and said ever so sweetly, "You know, there are places for you to do that." I replied, "Thank you I'm well aware and if I had wanted your advice I would have asked. You may be excused." 
Remembering that still makes me laugh.. the "you may be excused" is such a slap.. I know but this culture is basically the only culture in the entire world that has issues with breast-feeding. We sexualize breasts to the point that nursing babies with the healthiest option possible is offensive and obscene. So strange.. I say keep on nursing and excusing people from your presence!!
Enjoy the day,
Julia Hayes
being simple to simply be |
| GaiasRose |
Posted - Jul 03 2006 : 10:31:49 PM
Actually that nurse in was nation wide last Saturday...I was unable to attend as the nearest VS is like an hour or more away from us.
Ihad an incident a couple of weeks ago where a woman very blatantly and rudely shunned me as I was nursing Zoe. Since then I have been a little "on" i fyou will about the whole nursing in public....OY prudes.
"I would not interfere with any creed of yours or want to appear that I have all the cures. There is so much to know...so many things are true. The way my feet must go may not be best for you. And so I give this spark of what is light to me, to guide you through the dark, but not tell you
what you must see."
-Author Unknown
"Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth."
— Blaise Pascal
~*~Brightest Blessings~*~
Tasha-Rose |
| rabbithorns |
Posted - Jul 03 2006 : 9:52:00 PM
I always say my kids ate me out of house and home.
http://www.rabbithorns.etsy.com |
| Whimsy_girl |
Posted - Jul 03 2006 : 8:32:18 PM
I know exactly what you mean.. I turned a lot of heads when I was nursing! In fact I had more fun with my clothes that year than I have had the whole rest of my life because everything fit like it was supposed to! They are gone again now and I miss them ever so ;)
B.
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
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