Asked to Leave for Breastfeeding, What Now?

Although it is not common, now and then a mother is discriminated against when an establishment asks her to leave or cover up simply for feeding her child. Being prepared for this rare but emotionally difficult event can help a breastfeeding mother feel less anxious and quiet her worries about breastfeeding in public. Women need to know that if they have been discriminated against and don't know what to do, they have choices and a circle of support to reach out to for both encouragement and helpful resources.

When a mother has been asked to leave or cover for breastfeeding, and has taken the simple step of obtaining contact information for the staff members and management of the business involved, she may feel motivated to take further action. To help prevent these kinds of situations from happening to other breastfeeding mothers, a woman who was discriminated against can take action to encourage businesses to know and follow the laws. In states where there is no protective law, bringing attention to the issue is often a pivotal step in moving towards implementing breastfeeding legislation.

A woman can reach out to the breastfeeding community online and find herself backed up by lactivists all over the country. Take the current situation in which a mother at the Houston Ronald McDonald House was told she could only nurse her sick child by moving him up three flights to a private room every time. After telling her story at online breastfeeding forums, the mother gained a huge amount of support. Last week the Ronald McDonald House website server crashed after being swamped by emails protesting their discriminatory policy. A member of the LLL Board of Directors attended a meeting between the family and RMH, as did a local doctor supportive of breastfeeding. The mother has received so much support from the online community, she was offered space at the website of one supporter so that she could update everyone efficiently. Not only has her story been spread far and wide through blogs online, but it has also been the focus of a New York Times article. The mother continues to work for changes in the national RMH policy so that no other breastfeeding moms at RMH will have to face the same discrimination she did.

Another recent case involved a mother who was asked to leave a Florida restaurant for breastfeeding her child. The mother was unprepared and unaware of her rights. She ended up nursing her baby in the car, missing part of a family birthday celebration. Later after realizing the restaurant had violated the very clear breastfeeding legislation of Florida, the mother contacted an attorney. The restaurant issued an apology. The story was reported in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

If a mother chooses to work for change, large or small, there are many resources that will empower her to do so. One effective method of reaching supportive and knowledgeable lactivists is to post about your situation in an online breastfeeding community. This will put you in contact with others who will not only write letters and send emails but also help with contacts and media resources. Many of the members maintain blogs and can help spread information and any action requests quickly. There are discussion boards at the La Leche League website, ProMom.com, Mothering.com and many others. The Mothering.com discussion forum is the largest and most active and is a good place to start if you have experienced discrimination and are unsure what to do next.

The La Leche League website is a valuable resource for all breastfeeding mothers. Their website contains accurate information, facts about breastfeeding and the law, and discussion forums. A mother in need of help with discrimination can contact her local LLL group as a source of support and advice.

Advocacy through traditional media may also be part of the action taken after a woman is discriminated against. There are multiple sites online, although not all specifically breastfeeding oriented, that give clear information about using the media effectively. A mother or breastfeeding advocacy group may need skills such as writing effective letters to the editor, or drafting press releases to announce advocacy events like nurse-ins.

If you have been discriminated against for breastfeeding your child, you are in a unique position to create a positive change. The resources available to you online and in your community can support you by providing both encouragement and real life help as you take action to assure that other mothers and children won't have to go through the same discrimination in the future.