A young breastfeeding mother in Missouri is fighting over what she says was an unfair comment made by a manager at a local Denny's. As she was nursing her baby, she says a manager told her to cover up. When she said she didn't have a cover, she became embarrassed and quickly left.
The story is making headlines for good reasons. All Tiffany Morgan wanted to do was feed her child and she was made to feel like a common criminal. According to her, no one was even complaining.
Morgan even had a card that stated Missouri's breastfeeding statute. It states that a mother is allowed to breastfeed with as much discretion as possible in any public or private location. Seems clear, no? Um, nope. Actually it's not at all.
What is "as much discretion as possible"? Morgan didn't have a cover but she said she wasn't actively trying to flash anyone. So was she discreet or not? Who decides?
This is the kind of thing that is so ridiculous. A young mom shouldn't have to debate whether or not she is being "discrete" when her baby is hungry. It's a BOOB, people! If you don't like it, look away. For the love of God, it won't bite you.
I will never understand how a mall can be littered with photos of Victoria's Secret models in barely there lingerie, but a breastfeeding mom must be "discreet." Do we really hate babies? Or is it just women's bodies we hate?
We moms SHOULD be sick of this. We should take a stand. "Discretion" should be an etiquette rule, not one that is actually state law. All the state needs to say is that a mom is allowed to breastfeed in public or private. We can take care of the rest.
Most moms know without a law that she shouldn't breastfeed and drive. She knows without a law that she shouldn't breastfeed while in a moving vehicle. So my guess is most women are smart enough not to purposely try to flash a whole restaurant of people their naked upper body.
If that happens, it's because the baby was hungry.
When stories like this happen in restaurants, it's especially galling. Everyone has a right to eat there as they wish except the baby? How does that seem fair? Is a mom just supposed to let her baby scream in hunger so she doesn't discomfit a random person she doesn't even know?
It's insane to think that a mom should feel guilty or bad or wrong for feeding her child. It's hard enough to be a mom in this culture. Are these the "family values" we want to teach?
Shame on any public place that tries to stop a mom from feeding her hungry infant.
Were you ever told not to nurse?
Image via Mothering Touch/Flickr
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Comments 245
i think mothers should have the right to choose to cover up or not. i didnt BF but my sister in law did, it was a lil awkward talking to her as she pulls her boob out to feed her daughter, but sometimes thats what you gotta do. even in air conditioning covering up a baby can make them sweat. she would bring a cover to public places, but if it was hot out she wouldnt cover up. if i was this mom i would have asked if anyone had complained. if the manager said no then id tell him then there is no problem. if someone had complained, id tell him to send the complainee my apologie but i need to feed my baby. its not that big of a deal.
I agree with LynBoz.
In response to some previous comments-it's not always possible to just pump before you leave the house. Some womens breasts just don't respond to a pump, sometimes you end up being out longer then expected, and some babies don't take a bottle well. As for covering, I think it's polite to be as descreat as possible, but covers arn't always practicle. I always used a cover when feeding my daugher in public when she was real young, but around 6 months she started to refuse to be fed under a cover, especially when it was hot out. It's sad that women even have to defend their right to feed they're babies!
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For all you ladies crying about how this mom should have covered up, how about this, the next time you see a woman breastfeeding, throw that blanket over YOUR head. Or maybe you could try and eat with a blanket on your head and see how comfortable that is. I'm so tired of this stupid argument about nursing in public and I wish we could find something a lot more important to cry about. The boob was DESIGNED to feed babies and Americans are the only ones who seem to have a problem with women using their breasts as they were intended. Grow up, people!"
THANK YOU BUTTERFLYFREAK!!! My thoughts Exactly!! The ONLY purpose of the breast is to feed a child. I cover my breasts not for YOU but for me, I don't want all the people out there who have turned FOOD into a sex toy to see my breasts.
I see nothing wrong with BFing in public but I believe you should always wear a cover up. I would be embarassed to have my full on boob out feeding my kid in public anyway. Now if the woman was being discreet and was asked to leave, THEN you can raise a stink, I think.
@KDSUE - you said covering your boob will make it more obvious you're breastfeeding, which makes it clear you're missing the point. No one cares if you're breastfeeding in general, people do care if they see the baby on your boob though. This is where the cover comes into play. Its called being a mom and making sacrifices.
@Doomy, so are you getting the hint that maybe babies dont belong in certain places? Sure its a free world and we can come and go as we please, but sometimes as a mom you have to make the decision to sacrifice your wants for your baby's needs.
Ok, so she was asked to use a cover which can also be worded as "she was asked to use discretion"...which is what the LAW states. Just because no one complained to her face does not mean no one complained.