What would you do if you were harassed for nursing in public?

Ever wonder what you would do if you were harassed for nursing in public?  I do.  I wonder if I'd have the courage to contact the press, or even organize a nurse-in if I felt it were necessary.  Even calling to complain to a large institution can seem scary.

Kat, a mother of six and doula who lives in Wisconsin, faced that question last week.  She was nursing her 4 month old son Nathan at her local hospital, when she was bullied by hospital staff.  Monica, a reader who saw her story on a discussion board, emailed me to let me know about it. 

Her story is below.  After you read it, tell us what you would do in a such a situation by voting in the poll below or leaving a comment.

"Last week I went to my local hospital to have a CAT scan with my 4 month old son Nathan, my four year old, and my husband.  Nathan was hungry when we arrived at the hospital so I decided I'd nurse him before the scan.  I wrapped a blanket under my arm and my son to cover any exposed skin on my side and tucked my shirt down around his mouth to prevent exposure.  I walked into the hospital and checked in at the radiology department, still nursing him.

The woman behind the counter, named Connie, took me and my son to a registration room signed some paperwork.  While I was in there the telephone rang and the registrar (another woman) answered it.  She hung up and told me that I could just stay there in her office for a few minutes and then Connie would be in to get me, which I thought at the time was just the standard way it was done. 

A couple of minutes later Connie returned and told me to come with her.  I was then told we were being taken to a private room, which I thought was a nice gesture.  I followed her with my husband and four year old.  There was a man in front of Connie leading us out whom I later learned was the radiology director. 

I was still nursing Nathan as we walked into the hall.  Connie and the radiology director came to an abrupt stop in front of me, and he said, 'There's people down there.'  They told me they were taking me to a private room but we would pass people along the way.  I said 'I don't mind,' and took one step forward.  I was interrupted by 'but other people do,' and they both stepped closer to me not allowing me to move further.  I was dumbfounded. 

The radiology director then asked if I would like a blanket and I politely declined, stating that I wouldn't like to eat with a blanket over my head and neither did my son.  He again stated that other patients might be bothered.  I said 'breastfeeding is natural' and he agreed with me and started to say 'but...'  I asked him if he could see anything and he replied 'no.'

I started to tear up and Connie reached over and placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.  The radiology director took a step forward, pushed her hand down and held her arm down gently while he fully stepped in front of her.  He was mere inches from me by this time and I began to feel threatened and intimidated. 

I then asked what the problem was, and he said 'other patients.'  I said 'But if you can't see anything...'  I was very uncomfortable with this man inches from me in my personal space and was now pretty much sobbing.  I felt very trapped so I stated 'I'm just going to leave and go get my test somewhere else.'  He responded 'Well, that's your right.'  Connie stepped back a bit and allowed me to exit the area, my husband and son followed.

My husband, who had been in the waiting room, said that as far as he could see no patients complained, and since I was only in the waiting area for a few seconds, no one could have seen anyway.  I finished nursing Nathan in the car and then we went to the main hospital entrance to make a complaint.  We got to talk to two people from the hospital who offered thier apologies but of course were neutral on the whole thing, and I doubt anything will happen.  My husband and I are seriously considering hiring an attorney.  I'm very fearful to nurse my baby outside my house after this.  It was very frightening and now my 4 year old keeps asking 'Mommy what did you do wrong at the doctor's?'" 

You can read about what happened next by watching this video.  (Check out what the hospital communications guy says!) You can also read Kat's blog for more on the story.  In case you're wondering, Wisconsin law exempts breastfeeding from the public indecency statutes, but that's it.  Fortunately, new legislation is under review now. 

So, vote in the poll below (may take a few seconds to load, refresh the page if it doesn't).

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Click here.