The last time my breasts were used for their main purpose was over 10 years ago, so why would I blog about breastfeeding? Well…I guess I still remember the experience of nursing my two children…my saggy breasts being a daily, tangible reminder. And the following incident and subsequent feedback just pissed me off!
Recently a manager of a Houston’s here in South Florida asked a woman to leave the restaurant because she was breastfeeding her baby at the table. From the reports that I have read, the mom was nursing discreetly and the manager asked her to leave because another patron complained. Discreet or not, complaint or not…really irrelevant. We have laws in Florida that protect the right of a mother to nurse her child in public. The overwhelming sentiment has been against the manager and for the mother. The other day in the newspaper, there were three letters to the editor regarding the “breastaurant” controversy (I made that word up…kinda cool, right?) Admittedly, two were strongly and articulately in favor of the mom’s rights. And then there was this one (quoted from the Sun-Sentinel…name withheld because I can’t believe someone actually signed HER name to this!) – italics indicating where the letter is directly quoted:
The April 21 article of “mother being shocked when asked to leave after breastfeeding”? [editor’s note (that’s me, BTW) that’s not even a sentence OR a question…it is sadly lacking a verb]
Hello – this is a restaurant, not a nursery. Why not pump and bring a bottle? [OK…and how about if we ask you to use a catheter to urinate instead of urinating the natural way…why do things the easy, natural way if you can intervene with technology and plastic?]
Why not feed the baby before leaving for dinner? Why not use the restroom for that? [I just can’t contain myself…first of all…babies don’t tend to do anything like sleep, cry or eat, exactly when we want them to or not to. And having a baby doesn’t preclude you from eating out for the first year or two. And frankly, I’d rather see a quiet baby with a boob in his mouth than a whiny toddler whose parents are trying to cajole him/her into having a longer attention span so they can enjoy dinner. And I firmly believe that common sense should keep parents from bringing small children to fine, adult restaurants where their behavior might disturb patrons who are paying big bucks to have a fine dining experience. Houstons is NOT fine dining…the food is good and consistent, but it is noisy and bustling and a good choice for a family dinner out…and it has a children’s menu, so clearly children are expected to dine there. And the restroom!!! Come on…where exactly should she sit while nursing…on a toilet seat that doesn’t have a cover as most public restroom toilet seats don’t? She should feed her baby where no one else in that restaurant would choose to eat…probably the least hygienic and certainly the least appetizing part of the restaurant? Ugh!]
I would probably toss my food if I ever saw that. This was just a lady looking for a fight. Who would expose their family to a terrible night out? Five months old? It’s bottle time.
I am not a breastfeeding fanatic…it happened to be my choice and it worked well for me. Others make different choices for different reasons…physiological inability to breastfeed, lifestyle conflicts, working, etc. I support each mom’s choice to feed her child as she sees fit. My objection is to people who want to impose their attitudes and prejudices on other people who don’t do it their way.
Maybe if the letter-writer’s Mom had breastfed her she would be more relaxed and tolerant! ;)
Di
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