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Nursing out in Boston

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Today, Becky, Catherine and I drove down to South Weymouth to attend the iParty-sponsored “Nurse-Out.” In case you hadn’t heard, Brockton cardiologist Dr. Melissa Tracy was recently told that she couldn’t breastfeed her baby while at their South Weymouth store. The owner of the chain has since established a policy that instructs employees to allow mothers to nurse in the store wherever is most comfortable for them. On top of that, they hosted the “Nurse-Out” event that we attended today. A number of moms from the Mothering.com forums as well as the South Shore Breastfeeding Club were there with their kids. Some of them we had met last Sunday when the SSBFC had a nurse-out on the Boston Common. Dr. Tracy and her husband were also in attendance, as were the owners of the iParty chain. There were at least two television camera crews there, and some of the moms engaged the owners in on-camera discussion about the store’s policy in support of breastfeeding. (If you’re in the Boston area, you might want to keep an eye out on WCVB (Channel 5) to see if they run a story on their website or on the TV news in the next few days…)

There are some bills in the works in Massachusetts to specifically give mothers the right to breastfeed in public, and to that end, the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition is promoting May 9 as Breastfeeding Lobbying Day. Moms from across the state, including Becky, will be visiting the Massachusetts State House to lobby on the issue with their state government representatives. Having such laws on the books would not only enable currently-breastfeeding mothers to nurse more conveniently while out and about, but it should also help make expectant mothers more likely to choose breastfeeding, knowing that they’d be free to do it.

It’s good to see iParty leading the way in support of breastfeeding in public. Sure, throwing the nurse out party was good publicity and probably resulted in creating some sales and new customers, and I doubt the owners would ever spend money on something that wasn’t going to help their bottom line. But it also shows that of the things they could choose to spend their money on, they’re spending it on issues that really matter. The laws currently on the books in Massachusetts don’t have any special provisions that protect a mother’s right to breastfeed, and inside a place of business it is up to the owner as to how breastfeeding will be handled. Many business owners probably don’t have any specific policy allowing it, and thus it is handled on a case-by-case basis. Private businesses can make changes much more quickly than government can, so that’s why it’s a good thing for iParty to show this kind of support. Hopefully other businesses will follow suit and create policies for and awareness of breastfeeding. Once the idea starts to get some traction in the private sector, that might lend some fuel to government-based efforts.

In addition to the corporate and government levels, breastfeeding advocates also need to work on a person-by-person basis. There is currently a lack of understanding of breastfeeding in the general population. It is certainly a person’s right to feel how they want about the issue, but it’s unfortunate if that feeling stems from misconceptions or bad information. Sometimes talking to just one person who is uninformed or misinformed about the facts of breastfeeding can mean all of the difference. At today’s Nurse Out, Becky talked to two young women from out of state who just happened to be in the area and wanted to see what was going on. Not that they were ill-informed or against breastfeeding, but I think she left a favorable impression of breastfeeding with them. Hopefully they’ll go on to become breastfeeding mothers or at least support their friends who are.

If you have any questions about breastfeeding, please feel free to ask Becky or me. I can at least speak from the perspective of a supporting spouse, but Becky’s the real expert. 🙂 You could also ask Catherine, but I think she’d just say “Mmmmmmm!” 🙂

You can see some photos from today’s iParty nurse-out. Enjoy!

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Recently, Mothering Magazine put the call out for someone to create an international breastfeeding symbol. After a series of voting rounds the winner was selected (see right). The idea is that it can be used in Airports and Malls and the like to alert parents to Family rooms and breastfeeding friendly areas.

I love it. I think that it is simple and clear and (if you’re sensitive about these things) doesn’t imply that all babies are bottle fed. I wonder if it will catch on and if we’ll start seeing it in airports around the country.

It also started me thinking about my own experience with breastfeeding. I knew from the start that I wanted to breastfeed. I think that God did a pretty good job designing the human body to do what it needs to do. Why pass up something nutritional and so convenient? And with the cost of formula, and the time and energy needed to wash bottles breastfeeding seemed like the best decision for us.

When we learned that Catherine would have to hang out in the hospital for a while I was worried that I’d have trouble nursing her. I was adamant that she not get formula, and luckily, the NICU doctors agreed with me. I was able to express breastmilk, freeze it and bring it to the hospital. Catherine was able to take it first by NG/feeding tube and then by bottle.

Once she had her IVs removed we started to attempt breastfeeding. We had a tricky start. We had some latch issues. It was nothing that some practice and patience couldn’t cure. By the time she left the hospital we had stopped using the bottles and were well on our way to figuring things out together. It was tough, it was tiring, it was frustrating, but in the end was well worthwhile. We’ve had a seven month breastfeeding relationship that is still going strong.

During Catherine’s first two weeks I was fortunate to meet with a couple wonderful Lactation Consultants who helped us with the learning curve. Now that we’re doing well I find myself wanting to encourage other women who are breastfeeding or who want to nurse their babies. The LCs are all registered nurses, so I can’t do it in a professional capacity. I’ll have to stick with the old fashioned route and support others by example and by offering encouragement to those I know personally.

Do any of our readers have thoughts on this topic? I’d love to hear what you think.