Breastfeeding In Public

I don't have a problem with a women breastfeeding in public and in fact it was only last week that I saw a women doing so in a Second Cup outlet in my local Home Depot. It is really a two way street; the woman should be as discreet as possible and she shouldn't chastise anyone who might appear to be ogling/leering. The argument in favor is that it is a natural part of parenting and it is possible that in the near future farting, taking a leak, etc. in public becomes acceptable behaviour in public.

Eateries welcome nursing mothers

Peel Region program aims to make new moms comfortable

Richard Brennan
Toronto Star

Peel Region restaurants are being encouraged to be "breastfeeding friendly" so new mothers don't feel uncomfortable nursing their babies in public.

"It is just such a natural way of feeding a baby and something that we promote in public health simply because it is the best for baby and the best for mom," Anne Fenwick, director of Peel Region's family health department, said yesterday.

Fenwick said while it doesn't happen very often, there are still restaurants that will ask a mother to breastfeed in the washroom so as not to offend patrons – or ask them to leave.

The restaurants, that participate in the initiative that began this week, are given a breastfeeding-friendly sticker to put on their front window.

Toronto Public Health has a similar program, as do other municipalities, such as Guelph.

Fenwick said too often nursing mothers feel they have to stay cooped up at home because they don't feel comfortable breastfeeding in public places, even though breastfeeding rights are protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

"Fenwick said with more than 14,000 births in Peel each year, "there are a lot of mothers looking for a comfortable place where they and their children can eat at the table."

But there still may be some reluctance with some restaurants.

"I don't know how our (patrons) would react to that. They are spending $200 on a bottle of wine," said Victor Tetrovski, manager of the Old Barber House, a restaurant in the former village of Streetsville in Mississauga.

"I have no problem with it but ... the people who come here might ...," he said.

Teresa Pitman, executive director of La Leche League Canada, a breastfeeding support group, said even so, the situation for nursing mothers has vastly improved over the past 15 years.

"(Mothers get hassled) a lot less than it used to be, but every now and then I will get a call or there will be something in the newspaper from a mother who has been asked to leave a restaurant or asked to go to the washroom ... but I wouldn't say that it happens a lot," she said.

Feeling at ease in a restaurant, Pitman said, is important for new mothers particularly because they are more likely "to feel a little anxious about feeding their babies out in public anyway.

"Even though they are entitled to they often feel a little bit worried about it. Certainly seeing these stickers and knowing that they feel welcome is really helpful to them."