International Breastfeeding Icon
(Thanks, Keri , for the heads-up about this.)
You know how when you're in an airport in a foreign country, and you're thrilled to find little pictures of things you need, like restrooms, eating, etc. Mothering Magazine had a contest to design such a logo for breastfeeding mothers. It will be an icon to display in any public place to say that "here is a place where you can feed your baby." Whether it be a special place with chairs (and outlet for the pumps) or just to say that "breastfeeding is welcome here."
A Deaf man and father won the contest with the above graphic. I think it's kind of sweet.
In addition to benefitting nursing mothers, I hope this symbol will infiltrate the public's consciousness about breastfeeding. I've had no problems with breastfeeding in public or on airplanes, but I know many people have.
Comments
Jack told me that he read a story online the other day about a woman who was breastfeeding at the back of a plane before it took off, which to me would be a perfectly normal thing, especially since she was sitting at the window seat and trying to be inconspicuous. Apparently the other people around her still got upset, and when they got a flight attendant involved, the flight crew ended up asking the woman to leave the plane. She didn't want to make a big fuss or further upset the people around her, so she and her husband just got off the plane. I have no idea how they got home. Anyway, they're now suing the airline, which I think is totally justified and I hope they win. People's level of discomfort with public breastfeeding is a complete mystery to me, and the airline certainly made the wrong decision by kicking this woman off the plane for something that's completely natural and, uh, LEGAL. Is this an American hangup, I wonder, or do moms in other countries have to battle this same kind of thing?
Posted by: Erica | November 20, 2006 12:08 PM
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i saw her on CNN. the flight attendant said SHE was offended. there were no other people involved.
Posted by: Anastasia | November 20, 2006 01:37 PM
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I read that story, too. From all accounts it was a very reasonable situation...sitting in the back, by a window, with husband between her and the rest of the world. And no boobs showing. She merely refused to cover up her 20 mo old with a blanket. I sure would, too! What kid likes to be covered up with a blanket!?? Ellis was kicking the blanket off by 6 months, but by then, we were such pros, you really could nurse discreetly without one.
Posted by: Jeannette | November 20, 2006 02:19 PM
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I breastfed Anna on the plane down to GA for Thanksgiving. I didn't know about the news story then though. I still would have- if they gave us trouble, I would have settled for free tickets for life to keep me from suing. Bummer on this society.
Posted by: Missy | November 26, 2006 06:44 PM
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p.s. if anyone caught the comments left here that were 100% against a woman's right b'feed in public, I deleted them. Normally, I let people express their opinions pretty freely. But I just didn't feel like these particular comments contributed to the atmosphere of constructive discourse that I normally like to maintain on my blog...especially on such a constroversial topic that touches people to the core. Hating Walmart is one thing (I finally just deleted that post), giving a child sustenance is another.
Posted by: Jeannette | December 8, 2006 11:08 PM