Take a good look at the photos below. They are a reflection of myself and my children for almost 5 years of our lives. Yes, 2 kids and 5 years sitting in a bathroom stall -most of the time. Glamorous isn’t it?
It is amazing to me that FINALLY someone has taken note, after years of shame and millions of mothers hiding with their children in a germ-infested bathroom stall, FINALLY someone has noticed and is doing something about it. A group of students in Texas created the When Nurture Calls campaign to promote a new law that would essentially ban the harassment of breastfeeding women. Since Texas it’s still able refuse service to a breastfeeding mother. I know you all can probably pass judgment on mothers who don’t take a stand, like myself, but after getting uncomfortable stares, comments your opinion would probably change. Let’s face it, nursing is tough in the beginning and if you are as privileged as I am having a wiggly baby or a 3 year old who won’t wean does not make the situation any easier–that’s when you resort to the only ‘private’ place you know, like the bathroom to feed your crying baby.
The copy on the ads read: “Would you eat here? By law, breastfeeding mothers are not protected from harassment and refusal of service in public, often forcing them to feed in secluded spaces such as public bathrooms. To help take a stand, visit whennurturcalls.com, because a baby should never be nurtured where nature calls.”
Given, this is probably not always a problematic topic in other places in the world, but it really hits home and I am super-supportive of these pro-active ads.
What do you think? Are these ads accurate, or are the legalities of them set to start controversy and nothing else?
This is also me, and when I saw these ads I started to think about it and I am UPSET!! Why is my daughter having to eat in a dirty disgusting bathroom stall. I shouldn’t have to be ashamed to feed my baby, my baby is healthy because of me and if people dont like it they can go to the bathroom and eat!
I’ve done this a couple of times and hate it. I don’t feel comfortable with feeding my baby in front of others unless I have a cover but sometimes I need the quiet so they aren’t distracted. luckily I’ve never been asked to leave a place. it’s always been a choice
Wow! This is awful!! I have been quite lucky and never encountered a situation where a nursing area wasn’t available. Against the law?! Wow!!! Hopefully the campaign will bring change!
I probably wouldn’t eat a goof ball establishment that wouldn’t let a woman serve the only meal God or /s intended for babies to drink. I don’t see what fuss is about. As a man I can walk around without a shirt on and no one cares, but if I had grown women breasts I’d get in trouble? Society can be a douche.
I’ve done this too…breastfeeding an over 2 years old child seems to make people even more ucomfortable and I just don’t want to argue in front of my child…so sad…
These ads are 100% accurate – I still remember attending a football game, leaving the stands to go stand in the back area to breast feed (no benches back there as it was the walkway to get in and out of the stands) and a woman actually came up to me and told me it would be easier if I just went and fed him in the bathroom (I was completely covered up as well) – I just looked at her and told her absolutely not that I would not even use those dirty facilities myself to go to the bathroom I was not feeding my child in there. Most people don’t care if you are breastfeeding – it is only when they become aware of it that it becomes a problem. I have hidden breastfeeding on the side of a soccer field a whole season and only once did someone realize that was what I was doing (there was no way I was missing my eldest’s sons game to go breastfeed in the car!). It is a natural thing to do and people just need to accept it. Most women cover up when they breast feed so there truly is no problem. The more people see breast feeding in the open the more common it will become .