June Carnival of Breastfeeding - Get kicked off a bus for nursing in public? Here's how to respond.

Welcome to the June Carnival of Breastfeeding!  Be sure to check out the other bloggers' posts below.

I live in an area that is, in general, very supportive of nursing in public.  But an incident last week shows that even in such a community, there are times when it's critical to have the law - and the advocacy of other mothers - on your side.

Last week a mother in our community was asked to leave a public bus because she was nursing her child.  In response, our local chapter of Moms Rising (the political arm of another mothers' organization, Motherwoman), used a process we'd previously designed for these situations:

1) Sending a letter to the business (with the mother's permission) describing the incident, and requesting a meeting between the owner/supervisor, the woman whose civil rights were violated, and a lactation consultant and breastfeeding advocate.  At these meetings, the owner is educated about the breastfeeding rights law in Massachusetts, and is advised on how s/he can make their business a welcoming place for breastfeeding mothers.

2) Educating the mother about her rights and how to file a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

3) Following up with the business and the mother as nehttp://www.hobomama.com/2009/06/easy-discreet-way-to-breastfeed-toddler.html eded.

In this case, the mother was asked to leave the bus just as a mothers group run by Motherwoman was getting out, so there was a group mothers who immediately mobilized to call the bus agency.  The Moms Rising coordinator waited with the mother until the bus came back around on its loop, and they engaged the bus driver in a discussion about the incident.  Moms Rising will be requesting that each bus post a 'breastfeeding welcome here' sticker.

Want to know how it turned out?  Watch the video below.

Check out these other bloggers' posts on nursing in public (updated throughout the day):

• Lucy and Ethel Have a Baby: Nursing in Public - Boobs out and Proud
• PhD in Parenting:  Would you, could you, nurse in public?
• Dirty Diaper Laundry:  Breastfeeding in Public - Talents - I Haz It
• Kim Through the Looking Glass: Here, at the Restaurant?
• Grudgemom: Nursing in a room full of people you know
• Mum Unplugged: Awww, is he sleeping?
• Massachusetts Friends of Midwives: Nursing in Public - Chinatown, the Subway, the Vatican, and more
• Mother Mary's Soapbox: Breastfeeding Oriana
• Tiny Grass: Nursing in Public as an Immigrant
• Mommy News and Views: Breastfeeding in Public
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3: To Cover or Not to Cover
• Stork Stories:  Little Old Men...and Nursing in Public
• Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: Why worry about NIP?
• Warm Hearts Happy Family: Breastfeeding and the Summertime
• Blacktating:  Thank you for Nursing in Public
• Mama Knows Breast: Products that can Help you Nurse in Public
• Baby Ready:  A Wee NIP in the Park
• Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go:  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - We've breastfed in them all
• Breastfeeding Moms Unite: Nursing in Public - A Fresh Perspective on Nurse-ins
• Never a Dull Moment:  Breastfeeding Hats? Yes! Nursing Covers? Uh...not so much
• Breastfeeding Mums: Nursing in Public - What's a Breastfeeding Mother to do?
• Hobo Mama: Easy, Discreet way to Nurse a Toddler in Public

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