The boob-o-phobes are at it again.
This week, a mom was harrassed for nursing her 17-month-old son (who is undergoing surgery for a brain tumor) at, of all places, the Houston Ronald McDonald house. You can read the whole story here, and please send them an e-mail if this upsets you as much as it did me. I mean, really.
Here's my response:
I was shocked and horrified to hear of the treatment of nursing mom and guest of Ronald McDonald House Houston, Jessica Swimeley. Jessica is trying to do the absolute best thing for her sick child and should not be required to hide in order to do it. Human milk has healing properties critical for sick children, and Jessica should be commended for nursing her son - not shamed for it! If staff is uncomfortable with seeing a mom breastfeed, that is their problem - it should not be made into the mother's problem! Do you make moms who feed their babies formula from a bottle go up to their rooms? Nursing moms should be allowed to breastfeed anywhere formula-feeding moms are able to bottle-feed. Not to mention, Texas state law protects the rights of mothers to breastfeed in public places.
There are any number of recent events that should indicate that nursing moms are organized and willing to stick up for their rights. Please take this opportunity to garner the goodwill and support of the breastfeeding mom community and their supporters - it would be very easy to clarify your company policy and welcome nursing moms in all of your houses. This incident is making its way around blogs and message boards, and moms across the country will undoubtedly be sending you their horrified letters and e-mails. I would hate for Ronald McDonald House, which has done so very much for sick children and their families, to have a black mark put on their image by refusal to do the right thing by this mom. Nursing is the most natural, healthy thing a mother can do for her baby and she should be commended, not shamed or threatened, for doing it.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Not very eloquent, I know, but I had to type it before both of my children's heads exploded from impatience! Let's fill their inboxes by the time they hit the office tomorrow morning.
Here's my response:
I was shocked and horrified to hear of the treatment of nursing mom and guest of Ronald McDonald House Houston, Jessica Swimeley. Jessica is trying to do the absolute best thing for her sick child and should not be required to hide in order to do it. Human milk has healing properties critical for sick children, and Jessica should be commended for nursing her son - not shamed for it! If staff is uncomfortable with seeing a mom breastfeed, that is their problem - it should not be made into the mother's problem! Do you make moms who feed their babies formula from a bottle go up to their rooms? Nursing moms should be allowed to breastfeed anywhere formula-feeding moms are able to bottle-feed. Not to mention, Texas state law protects the rights of mothers to breastfeed in public places.
There are any number of recent events that should indicate that nursing moms are organized and willing to stick up for their rights. Please take this opportunity to garner the goodwill and support of the breastfeeding mom community and their supporters - it would be very easy to clarify your company policy and welcome nursing moms in all of your houses. This incident is making its way around blogs and message boards, and moms across the country will undoubtedly be sending you their horrified letters and e-mails. I would hate for Ronald McDonald House, which has done so very much for sick children and their families, to have a black mark put on their image by refusal to do the right thing by this mom. Nursing is the most natural, healthy thing a mother can do for her baby and she should be commended, not shamed or threatened, for doing it.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Not very eloquent, I know, but I had to type it before both of my children's heads exploded from impatience! Let's fill their inboxes by the time they hit the office tomorrow morning.
posted by knittinmom at 3:20 PM
7 Comments:
On the contrary, I thought your response was perfect!
I thought the english were supposed to be the uptight ones! Your response as i read it has just the right tone. imho, if there staff have issues with breastfeeding should they really be working in a place like that, and as most of the residents have probably spent alot of time in hospitals i doubt any of them even noticed!
That makes me so sad for this family. I have stayed in a place liek that- I knwo what a difficult time they are going through. To have this adde don top just ads insult to injury. I've sent an email.
Good job. I will write to them as well. I can't believe they were so rude, he is only 17 months old!
This upsets and depresses me so much. What a terrible thing to do to the only person who was doing something helpful for a very sick child. I don't know if I could be trusted to compose a civil e-mail (at least right now), but this sounds like it should be addressed at the top levels of RMH to make sure ALL the houses can come up with a better policy.
You go, girl! I breast fed both of my children (in Portland, Oregon no less), who are both now grown up. I did it in public, and it made a few people uncomfortable at first. Those people have not been "exposed" to it enough, and need to learn that it is natural. That's was breasts are FOR. If my daughter ever has children, I will give her all the support possible to breast feed. I think it is part of the reason my kids turned out so great!
Talk about a ridiculous bunch of fools. I am tired of people objecting to breastfeeding. It's not as if the breast is being used for anythinbg other than it's purpose. No porno film happening, right? So everyone should just get on with their day and ignore it. Just like they would if it was a bottle feeding.
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