An Ann Arbor woman is upset that the YMCA will not allow her to breast-feed her baby in the swimming pool area.
Kelly Fuks said she was told it's a distraction to the lifeguards.
The Y says it is a health issue because it violates a "no food and drink'' rule in the pool area. Officials say she can breast-feed in many other parts of the building.
Breast-feeding mom runs afoul of Y's pool policy
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2 comments:
I think this one has been tough for the Lactivist community because there's clearly two sides to the issue here...
On the one hand, it's essential to back up the rights of a mother to breastfeed her child in public, thus normalizing the act for our society.
On the other hand, we're talking about a mother that broke a rule that applies to all forms of eating or drinking. A bottle feeding mother could not have fed her child there either.
Additionally, it's important to note that the director of the Y says that when Ms. Fuks was told she was a distraction it wasn't because she was nursing, it was because the lifeguards had to take time to explain the rules to her and to ask her to leave, thus taking them away from their lifeguarding duties.
I have to agree with you, Jennifer. My personal feeling has always been that if it's ok to bottlefeed somewhere, then breastfeeding should also be allowed.
As an example, at a local playspace, a mom I know was told she could not breastfeed her son during class. The playspace's policy is that no feeding - by bottle or by breast - can take place during class time, and that the caregiver should step out of the room if feeding cannot be delayed. And I'm OK with that.
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