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This site is designed to support women to breastfeed their babies wherever and whenever their baby is hungry. The goal is to educate, assert a baby's right to eat according to the biological norm, and increase the visibility of breastfeeding so that it is considered common, accepted, and expected. This site will support general advocacy for breastfeeding in public and it will also help women respond to requests by individuals or corporations that they breastfeed elsewhere. Much of the information on this web-site was designed in response to a situation in July 2004, when a Maryland woman was asked to breastfeed in the bathroom or put a blanket over her baby's head at a Starbucks. After direct attempts to ask Starbucks to change their policy, a nurse-in was held. The situation received extensive national and international media coverage and highlighted how intense people on all sides of the issue feel. It also highlighted how one woman can ignite an important conversation. We hope this webpage allows many women to do that across the country. Breastfeeding is the healthiest choice a mother can make for her child, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and many research studies. Some women cannot breastfeed for medical reasons. For many women who can breastfeed, it can still be a difficult choice. Society reflects mixed ideas about women's bodies - moralistic messages about shame mixed with Hollywood/Madison Avenue messages about sex and eroticism. Therefore, many women feel that even when their bodies are nourishing the next generation, they should hide what they are doing and might feel shame. This is reinforced by others around them (family members, store employees, general public) who also receive mixed messages about women's bodies and also struggle with what it means to see a woman with a baby at her breast. The unfortunate result is that women find themselves squatting in bathrooms trying to nurse, fumbling under blankets, trying to cover a baby's head with the baby struggling with the blanket. (The reality is that when most women breastfeed, those around cannot see much of her breast at all because the baby's head is covering it.) Other women feel like they can't leave their homes with their babies, whether on a series of errands, or to social gatherings with friends and family, if they want to breastfeed. The long term effect is that many women choose not to breastfeed or choose to breastfeed for a shorter period of time than they otherwise might. All of society benefits from babies being breastfed - the long term health benefits save money, the psychological research shows that it supports healthy, happy babies and children. Society should have policies and laws which support women to breastfeed their children. Some women choose to breastfeed in private only. Others choose to use a blanket, to pump their milk, or to use formula when in public. This is their choice. Women must be supported to make this choice. And women who choose to breastfeed without blankets should be supported to make this choice also. Find out what the law in your state says about breastfeeding in public. Go to: http://www.llli.org/Law/LawBills.html for the most updated information about breastfeeding in public. Keep in mind in no state is it illegal to breastfeed in public. Those states with laws are being pro-active to protect a woman's right to breastfeed in public; however, even in states with no laws, it is legal to breastfeed in public. Talking Points |
breastfeeding.com lalecheleague.org Benefits of Extended Breastfeeding www.promom.org |
www.lalecheleague.org or www.breastfeeding.com
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