Between both boys, I've been nursing in public for about 2.5 years. I've always wonderied if/when this would happen and I guess it was tonight. My H and I took the boys to a Bucks game (NBA basketball) because my dad got some free tickets. The game started a bit late for Sam, so midway through the second quarter I took him out to the lobby. He was getting squirmy/overtired so I decided to try nursing him to see if he might fall asleep. In an attempt to increase my chances, I found a quiet corner and almost had him asleep. All of a sudden, I hear "Excuse me, mam" I turn around to see a security guard who can't even make eye contact with me. I stop nursing and he proceeds to tell me while what I am doing is "natural and all/ he was breast fed as a baby" he can take me to the first aid room two floors down to nurse. He kept saying he was sure I didn't want to worry about people looking at me and wondering why I was doing THAT here. He just wanted me to be comfortable. When I said I was ok and wanted to be sure I was where I told my H I would be in case he/our other child needed me for some reason, he kept pushing the subject and insisting he could take me right away. Even though I know I wasn't doing anything wrong, I immediately got so embarrassed. I ended up just taking the section number first aid was in from him and saying if I changed my mind, I'd head down. We ended up leaving soon after (even though Ezra was still having a great time) because I was never able to get Sam back in a sleeping mode and I was all flustered. I'm trying to throw the guy a bone that his intentions might have been to try to help, but he really just seemed like he was judging me. State law in Wisconsin is that your right to nurse anywhere children are allowed is legally protected. I'm considering writing the arena a letter to let them know their staff member was not appropriate. Not sure if that's over the top, but I feel like he was pretty out of line. Also, the darn cheerleaders had way more breast hanging out than I did! Would you write an e-mail or just drop it? If you read this whole thing, you deserve a cookie, some wine or both!
Post by EnchantedSoul on Mar 26, 2015 22:06:05 GMT -5
I'll take some cookies and wine. Write the email. I would have told him exactly what you stated here. You have a right to nurse wherever baby is allowed to be.
Though he may have been well intentioned, he was wrong to try to get you to leave your spot.
I wouldn't just write a letter. I would hit up social media. Nothing will get action quite like social media. I absolutely believe that the stadium workers need a quick lesson in the law and what you can do. You feed your baby where you please.
Post by christidee on Mar 26, 2015 22:25:22 GMT -5
I'm sorry. It sounds like he had good intentions, but he shouldn't have been persistent. I think an email would be good. Use social media if you are okay with it blowing up.
The parts that keep sticking with me as particularly offensive are his persistence and his tone when he kept repeating how people would be looking at me and wondering why I was doing "that" in public. It was like what I was doing was totally disgusting. While I'm not alway super discreet when nursing (babies got to eat, nbd) in this case, the way I was positioned it would have been hard to tell I wasn't just rocking a baby to sleep unless you were really staring. I'm kind of disappointed in myself for getting so flustered and not being more direct/bringing up that asking me to move wasn't legal. I fell back on such a wimpy excuse ( while true) of not wanting to disappear on my h because I was so taken aback. I think I am going to write that e-mail because I don't want this guy thinking he can keep doing this to nursing moms.
I would have gone psycho on that guy. Ugh. You're sitting there minding you own business and he comes up giving you a hard time. F off dude. Doing what in public, feeding your child? This makes me so angry.
Write the email. No one reacts the way they hope to when taken off guard like that- do not be disappointed in yourself. I think you handled it really well. Hugs. I'm sorry this happened.
I think you handled yourself very well and seemed to stay calm, which might have had an impact on him in showing that yup, nursing really is normal and that you weren't uncomfortable at all. I agree with you, definitely worth writing that email. He, and probably the rest of the staff, could use the reminder.