I checked out this article that a friend of mine posted on Facebook (thanks Amanda) about a woman in Pittsburgh who has this vision to buy an ice cream truck, stick a giant boob on top, and park in front of the public places where women are harassed for breastfeeding in public!

PREFACE: Now, I’m allllll for breastfeeding in public.  It’s actually my right to breastfeed in public if I so wish.  It’s actually the law – breastfeeding in public is legal in Texas.

I Breastfeed in Public.

But you’d never know it. I’m extremely discrete, and my goal is to feed my baby, not make a point.

By now, MOST businesses know that the wrong people to harass are breastfeeding moms.  There has been so much press about breastfeeding in public, I think they’ve started to add “breastfeeding in a public establishment” to the Business 101 text books or something, because the stories, these days, of harassment are few and far between.

Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover | Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump

At what point is Activism Counterproductive?

Where I have to draw the line with Lactivism (Breastfeeding Activism.. Get it? Lactation Activism?  Yes, it’s a REAL term, I didn’t make it up) is when someone takes it a bit too far.  I call this Lactivist Extremists. There comes a point to where being an advocate about something can actually turn more people away than peacefully get them to see your point of view, or the law, in this case.

The point of being an advocate is to get the public to see the POSITIVE aspects of your cause.

Extreme Lactivists get my goat!

I once had an acquaintance with FF breasts, and she would make it a point to whip her boob out on the table wherever we’d go to nurse her baby. Because. She. Could.  When you have three other breastfeeding women sitting around the table who are embarrassed?  It’s a bit much, and truthfully, counterproductive.

The Nursing Mother’s Companion | Lansinoh Lanolin | Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding

Pretty much every place that has booted someone for breastfeeding at the table, on the bench, sitting on the floor, wherever, has backed down and eventually realized and changed policies regarding breastfeeding in public.

I think that most establishments with a problem with nursing in public are squeamish for two reasons.

  1. The first reason is, they over-sexualize breasts during breastfeeding moments.  Boobs were invented for two reasons, not just one.. Nourishment and pleasure.  Feeding your baby has to happen, whether its at home, at a baseball game, or in your car.  There’s nothing sexual about it.
  2. The second reason is because they are not educated about breastfeeding and the law.

Sure, I think the truck is pretty cool in theory, but you’d never see me calling them to come to my rescue!  I think over-doing it is not helping the cause!

How can you avoid the harrassment of breastfeeding in public?

Breastfeeding is supposed to be a peaceful bond between mother and child.  When someone disturbs the peace for your breastfeeding experience, try not to fight fire with fire.  To me it’s counterproductive for the cause, and it only draws negative publicity – and not just for the business!