Roughly 150 people gathered at a Pennsylvania shopping mall this past weekend to support a mom who was forced to stop breastfeeding her baby in public. Leigh Bellini says a security guard asked her to put a blanket over her baby’s head, feed her baby in the bathroom or her car, and even threatened to call the police.
The nurse in got its share of media attention. To watch a new clip from a CBS affiliate, click here. (Make sure you go to the right hand side of the page that pops up to find the link to the video). The piece has an interview with Bellini who says her goal is to get Pennsylvania to enact a law that would protect breastfeeding in public.
Angela at Breastfeeding 123 reports that a Pennsylvania State Senator has introduced a piece of legislation that is moving things in that direction. The Right to Breastfeed Act would allow a mom to breastfeed in any public or private place that she is otherwise allowed to be.
Pennsylvania Nurse In Update
Pennsylvania Nurse In Saturday February 24th
A mom and her hungry baby are behind a nurse planned for Saturday in Pennsylvania. Leigh Bellini says she was at a shopping mall, trying to feed her son, when she had a little run in with mall security. She says they told her to cover her baby with a blanket, feed him in the bathroom or sit in her car outside.
PA moms, take note–
Pennsylvania doesn’t have a law protecting a woman’s right to nurse in public or private. But Philadelphia does have a city ordinance allowing women to breastfeed in public places. A State Representative, however, is pushing two pieces of legislation that could help breastfeeding moms. (via Breastfeeding123)
If you want to go to the nurse in, here are the details:
Center Court at the Berkshire Mall in
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.
Saturday, February 24th at 1:00p.m.
The nurse in is being sponsored by Mothering And More and Birth Without Boundaries.
Check both of these sites for details about the event.
As for Leigh’s story, you can read the whole thing here. In part, she writes:
My husband and I took our 2-year-old daughter and 6 month-old son out for a day of shopping and errands. While at the mall, my son became hungry. I found a bench near an indoor tree and parked my stroller directly in front of me. As discretely as possible I began nursing my son. After about 10 minutes or so I was interrupted by a security guard, who asked me if I could put a blanket over my son and cover up better. I informed him that I did not have a blanket nor would I like him to get me one and also that I had no breast exposed anyway….
Moments later we were confronted by another security guard. I immediately told her that I had no intention on listening to what she had to say. My husband told her that she had to back away from my son and I and speak with him further down the hall. While I continued to feed my son, my husband dealt with this person. She asked why they couldn’t provide me with a blanket or buy me a new one. My husband explained to her that we weren’t going to use a dirty blanket or use a new one that hadn’t been laundered. At this point the first security guard came back to get involved. He asked why I couldn’t move the breastfeeding into a more private location like the bathroom. My husband asked him if he liked to eat on a toilet seat in a public bathroom. The security guard replied that I didn’t have to sit on a toilet. My husband asked where should she sit, on the floor. The security guard replied that I could stand in the bathroom. My husband laughed and said “obviously you’ve never breastfed.” Then the security guard suggested I go out to my car to breastfeed. IT WAS 30o OUTSIDE!!!!!!
Pork Board vs. Blogger Is Over
It’s done. They’ve settled the matter, and Jennifer over at The Lactivist is quite pleased.
You may remember this story from last week, when the National Pork Board threatened Jennifer with trademark infringement suit. They said her t-shirt slogan, “The Other White Milk” infringed on their slogan, “The Other White Meat.”
The Board apologized, and employees are actually digging into their own pockets to make donations to the Ohio Milk Bank. (Jennifer donates money from t-shirt sales to the milk bank).
You still can’t buy “The Other White Milk” t-shirts. But Jennifer does have a new one that should make you smile: “Breast: The Original White Milk.”
Dallas Nurse In Rescheduled For Friday
A long, long time ago, I lived in Dallas. I was there for a summer job during law school. During my stint in “The Big D” I discovered that the cowboy motif was alive and well. I learned to say “inn-surance” (emphasis on “in”) instead of “in-sur-ance” (emphasis on “sur”). And I realized I was essentially considered a foreigner since I was from Boston.
So, why in the world, you ask, did a New England girl who wore a lot of black and didn’t have big hair go to Texas? I went there for a guy, of course. And once that relationship ended I never went back. Since then, I’ve only passed through the airport on a cross-country trip. And from what I remember, that is one big airport.
So those ladies in Dallas have their work cut out for them tomorrow. Last week, during the nationwide nurse-in, police at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport turned away the moms and babes who showed up. Well now they’re coming back on Friday and holding another nurse in at 10 am at the Delta ticket counter. To see a copy of the press release, click on the word “comments” at the bottom of this entry.
You probably recall that this was all started when Emily Gillette was kicked off a Delta commuter flight (operated by Freedom Airlines) for breast feeding her daughter. During the nationwide nurse in, roughly 850 people gathered at 40 airports across the country.
After tomorrow, we should be able to add the Texas crew to the rally tally. So ladies, since everything– especially the airport– really is bigger in Texas, make sure you go to Terminal E. Remember, don’t mess with Texas!
Blogs Report on the Nurse In
As expected, the blogosphere has been buzzing all week about Emily Gillette getting kicked off a plane for breast feeding. I’ve found some interesting posts after yesterday’s nurse in and I’ll keep adding to this entry throughout the day if I find more.
Jennifer at The Lactivist writes about a run-in with an airport representative in Port Columbus, Ohio.
Chris Musser, The Reluctant Lactivist, was one of 40 moms and kids at the airport in Portland, Oregon. She describes the scene:
We got a warm reception from travellers who happened by and from the Delta employees we spoke with (I made a point of urging them to speak with their bosses about getting a written breastfeeding policy in place, which Delta is currently refusing to do). One woman…I’m guessing a former breastfeeding mom…walk by us chanting, “Yay! Breastfeeding!” I saw a number of people stop and give moms kudos to their advocacy. The director of the Port of Portland approached us about our plans and was quite positive. I had stickers with the breastfeeding icon on them which I was handing out to participants and the press…I offered him some, explaining the purpose of the icon, and he asked for multiple copies. Perhaps PDX will be one of the first airports to adopt the icon!
The Mommy Blawg, which is about the intersection of motherhood and the law, examines what happened at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Moms were turned away by the police. She writes:
Texas Health & Safety Code § 165.002. RIGHT TO BREAST-FEED. A mother is entitled to breast-feed her baby in any location in which the mother is authorized to be.
Ah, how simple. Is it really to much to ask that police officers be familiar with the law? The statue was only enacted eleven years ago, so maybe the word hasn’t gotten out yet.
Ms. Booty Homemaker was at the airport in Nashville, Tennessee. She writes:
With the exception of perhaps two or three quizzical glances, we nursing families were met with great welcome, kindness and support. Two older women who’d nursed their babies years ago stopped to congratulate us and cheer us onward. One even was interviewed by the news. Another older couple stopped to speak with some mamas; the gentleman worked for Delta and wanted to express his support of us. An airport employee gave stickers to all the kids and an American Airlines flight attendant stopped to tell us that not all in her profession were offended by breastfeeding, that she herself was so glad to see us.
On The Huffington Post, Erin Kotecki Vest writes an entry called “My Tits and My Toddler Fly The Unfriendly Skies”:
I’m curious as to why those of you squeamish types can’t seem to handle a little boob. Is it because you want it to stay stuffed in a Victoria Secret bra instead of in a baby’s mouth? Does it make you uncomfortable to see what God clearly intended as man’s plaything and not a tool of nutrition used in such a vulgar manner?
Here’s another good one from The Huffington Post. Russell Shaw writes, “Bless The Moms Who Breastfeed in Public Places”:
The height of hypocrisy is that some of the same people who totally object to a mother breast-feeding her child in a public place are some of the same people who vote for “family values” conservative politicians. Although discretion is certainly appropriate in some crowded public places, and a concealing blanket isn’t a bad idea, I cannot think of a “family value” more basic than a mother feeding her child.
Finally, Jeff Jarvis at BuzzMachine actually linked to Mama Knows Breast when I wrote my entry about how the internet enabled all of these moms across the country to work together. The phenonemon is known as a smart mob, so he aptly titled his piece, “A Mob of Moms.”
Nurse In Round Up
The two babies are asleep, the dishes are done, “How I Met Your Mother” is playing off our TIVO and I ate nearly a pint of Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk. So at long last I was able to sift through emails, news reports and random internet ramblings. And here’s what I’ve come up with, some highlights from today:
* Forty airports across the country…from Las Vegas to Vermont.
* Roughly 850 moms, babes and supporters.
* International (Pakistan ), national (The Washington Post), and local news coverage (watch this video from a New Mexico TV station and see an interview with Emily Gillette, the woman who was kicked off the plane).
* Plus an apology from Delta.
But I think this photo, says it all. Look very closely at what she’s doing.
Nurse In News Reports
So here are early reports from different news sources…
Of course moms and their babes were in Burlington, Vermont, where this brouhaha all started last week when Emily Gillette got kicked off a plane for breastfeeding her daughter. Today, about 25 people staged a nurse in at that airport. In Boston, five women gathered at Logan airport. Moms were also in Louisville, Kentucky…Indianapolis, Indiana (see photo above)…Bradley International Airport in Connecticut…Jacksonville, Florida….40 moms showed up in Portland, Oregon….and about ten moms were in Detroit, Michigan. Jennifer Laycock, of The Lactivist, was one of 12 women who were at the airport in Columbus, Ohio. She even got quoted in the local newspaper. Make sure you click on Jennifer’s site to get a good round-up from other airports as well.
I’ll bring you much more after I put The Bear to sleep, do The Bortski’s bath, books, bed and crying routing, have dinner with my husband, clean up the kitchen and self-medicate with Oreos.
Nationwide Nurse In Today
It’s 9:15 and as I type, moms across the country are gathering at airports for a nurse in. As I’ve been reporting here, they were motivated to stage this grass roots nurse in by the story of Emily Gillette, the mom who was kicked off a Freedom Airlines flight (a commuter flight for Delta) for breastfeeding. The nurse in kicks off officially at 10 am, local time.
To monitor the progress of the nurse in plans, I subscribed to the Yahoo chat group moms were using to coordinate their efforts. This morning I woke to find 182 messages in my in-box– progress reports about t-shirts, press releases, and travel plans. From the site I found a list of least 33 airports where you can expect moms and their babes to be today.
As the day progresses, I’ll be writing periodic updates on the events. Usually each time I write a new entry I send out an email notification of the entry. To save you from In Box clutter, I won’t do that today. But do check back every few hours or so to see what’s new on my site.
Right now I have to take a shower. Good thing it isn’t de rigueur yet to use video to communicate over the internet.
Nationwide Nurse In on Tuesday
For the past couple of days I’ve been watching a grass roots movement in action. Moms across the country are getting together, via the internet, to organize a nationwide nurse in on Tuesday, November 21st. They’ve been galvanized by the story of Emily Gillette, the mom who was kicked off a Freedom Airlines flight (a commuter flight for Delta) for breastfeeding. Moms who have never met each other before are talking about meeting at 10 am, at Delta counters around the country. They’re drafting press releases, making t-shirts, discussing logistics, even debating the merits of organizing the event. It’s pretty cool to watch this unfold.
If you want to find specific information about the nurse in, you can check out this Yahoo Chat group. You can also check out ProMom and Mothering.
Click onto any of these links to see the internet — and some spirited women– in action.
Nationwide Nurse In on Tuesday, November 21
When The Bortsky was a baby we took him on numerous airplane rides and I had not a single qualm about breastfeeding him. He was hungry, so he ate. Plus, it had the added benefit of keeping him from screaming bloody murder. I’m sure it also helped his ears during the flight. So I can just imagine how I would have felt if a flight attendant had asked me to stop. Could I have found myself in the same situation as Emily Gillette, the mom who was kicked off a Freedom Airlines flight for breast feeding her child?
Now, it seems a nationwide protest is brewing. This grass roots “nurse in” is scheduled to be at Delta airport counters on Tuesday, November 21, at 10 AM, local time. Freedom Airlines runs some of Delta’s regional flights.
To follow developments on the protest, check out the discussion boards at ProMom and Mothering.
To update you on Gillette’s story, Freedom Airlines has written a public letter responding to the incident. The letter says the airline disciplined the flight attendant because she acted contrary to the company’s policy which supports a mother’s right to breastfeed. The letter also said the pilot offered Gillette the chance to get back on the plane. But she says that didn’t happen. The dispute continues…