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A nationwide nurse-in at Target stores, breastfeeding flash mobs, and more

Despite public breastfeeding being legal in 28 states, DC and many municipalities, moms are forever being told to "use the public bathroom" when they try and feed their little ones, even when they're discreet. Now, some moms are organizing to let other nursing women and their accusers know that babies and moms have rights.

In a Houston-area Target store, store employees gave one mom a hard time when she took a quick break from Christmas shopping to feed her infant. In response, the breastfeeding advocacy organization Best For Babes is organizing a nationwide Target nurse-in through a Facebook group.

In D.C., an attorney has filed a claim with the D.C. Office of Human Rights after DMV security guards accused her of indecent exposure when she tried to nurse her hungry infant in the hallway, using her jacket as a nursing cover. Simone de Santos was waiting for a traffic hearing and took her fussy 4-month-old into the quiet corridor to nurse. Blogging in the Washington Post, she wriites, "I was shocked, upset and angry that by providing food for my son, I was being treated like a criminal." The case is under investigation.

And in Brighton, England, dozens of moms participating in a breastfeeding flashmob turned the center of town into a stroller parking lot after a nursing woman was insulted by customers at a local deli.

Do you ever wish you could feel more comfortable nursing in public, or do you feel it shouldn't be legal? Are these womens' protests the right way to go, or all wrong? Share your views.

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Comment by jessie74 on December 28, 2011 at 3:34pm: I am not ashamed to breastfeed in public. I do use a cover and usually go into a bathroom or other secluded area to latch on, but am comfortable walking around or sitting in a public place to nurse. Yes, I have received "the look" and stare back, challenging anyone to comment. I would really love for them to, so I can provide a little education. I must say that I did use the nursing room provided by our mall a week before Christmas as the rest of my family was eating in the food court because I wanted so peace (and it was really nice, padded arm chairs and soft lighting) but only because I wanted to escape the environment. I think the negative attitude as come from the oversexualization of the female breast. To me, it is nothing but a food source for my baby and anyone viewing it as a sexual object is the disgusting one not me. Even my husband knows that while I have a nursing baby, the boobs are the baby's alone.

Comment by Sammi on December 28, 2011 at 10:32am: I felt awkward everytime I tried to breast feed in public and I used a blanker to cover up or a sling when I needed to keep moving and I always got funny looks. I feel like even though it's the best for our kids and our own bodies people find it disgusting. For hundreds of years there was no formula or bottles and so women would feed there children where ever they were, what made it so taboo? I think that is the biggest question to ask ourselves and anyone else too.

Comment by Chrisa on December 27, 2011 at 11:25pm: I am pregnant with baby number 4 and I plan to breast feed for a year (as I did before). I have never felt comfortable breastfeeding in public. I still do it though, I always stay covered (ususally with my shirt). I have breastfed every where you can go with a baby, restaurants, dept stores, anywhere with a bench to sit. I don't think I will ever be 'comfortable', but is is what is best for my little one.

Comment by Lolacenza on December 27, 2011 at 6:30pm: Articles like this always flabbergast me. Now on new baby #4, I've been breastfeeding wherever and whenever for a long time. I have never once even had someone look at me funny let alone say something rude. I would LOVE for that to happen- I have plenty of pent up sarcasm and aggression to unleash on someone. LOL. Stand up for your rights ladies. In states like NY and Ohio it's actually legal for women to be topless in public even.

Comment by Mom365 on December 27, 2011 at 10:36am: For anyone who's interested in joining their local nurse-in, it's on the morning of December 28 and you can find your local group on the nurse-in's main Facebook page

Comment by MaeMaeMom on December 27, 2011 at 1:05am: Id love to... I nurse where-ever and whenever my daughter needs to eat. Iv been breastfeeding for 5 months now and Iv never been asked to leave or move to a more private location. Though I do cover up im publc for my own reasons. I don't get many dirty looks and no one has ever said anything to me. I would never breastfeed in a bathroom stall. If they have a bench or chair I'll sit in a bathroom but I dont like the idea of my daughter eating where others go to the bathroom. We dont do that why should she? I'll usually just cover up and walk around the store while breastfeeding :) try and stop me.

Comment by burp mcgurk, Star Mom on December 26, 2011 at 6:10pm: if there's a nurse-in anywhere near baltimore i'm in!

Comment by lorna castillo-dominguez on December 26, 2011 at 12:50pm: My daughter will be a year old next week and I'm still nursing. I think that I should not feel ashamed to feed her in public but I do. I hardly do it. I always go to the car or someones room. Even my husband feels uncomfortable having me nurse when we have company... I feel like it is a natural thing and I should not be afraid to feed my daughter when she is hungry. Good for those women who are protesting and bad for our society for thinking that something as natural as feeding a child is indecent exposure...

Comment by Ally Notch on December 24, 2011 at 2:09pm: I wish I could feel more comfortable nursing in public, but its not for me. I nursed my son for a year. If he wasnt hungry before we left, I had to pump. Our mall has a seperate baby/toddler room that nursing moms can use, they have a bathroom designed for an adult and toddler, and several built in changing stations equipped with sinks and trash cans vs the pull down stations where youre trying to finaggle a wiggly baby from falling off while grabbing supplies from the diaper bag. there is even a microwave. you can choose to sit in a comfy, private nursing room or out in the open while a toddler plays. Its a nice alternative to sitting on a bench or walking and nursing because the baby could be distracted, even if covered.

Ive never nursed in a public restroom/ toilet stall. That is disgusting. Unfortunately I think its safe to say that other stores such as Target do not have seperate nursing rooms for moms. so if you have to use a store bench or a hallway, so be it. Cover yourself with a blanket so your not "exposed" and I dont see why its a problem.

Im sure the majority of shoppers are parents. I wonder if the people accusing nursing mothers of being indecent are parents themselves. I believe people will say anything to start a scene, to get a story, to get a rise out of people. Of course this is a controversial topic. There are lots of nursing mothers out there and its gonna upset them. Of course the D.C. case is rediculous and so is the england deli situation, but then again that is my opinion based on what Ive just read.

When I had my son, the pressure to breast feed was intense. Everywhere you turn someone is asking you "You're breastfeeding, right?" and then list a million reasons why you must. If you say you plan on bottle feeding, you almost feel outcasted, like you're doing a disservice and are about to stunt your babies development for life. Even at doctors visits, and at the hospital, they give you buckets of information and papers on why "Breast is Best". Even google will support this claim. If you ask a mother how long she nursed her baby, or even how long she plans on nursing her baby, there is a sense of pride in her answer if she nursed for a long period of time.

So why is this topic even an issue? As mothers, the great, strong and powerful women we are with a sweet bundle of joy that we care for constantly, selflessly, whole-heartedly, I have to ask why nursing in public is such a major issue? It shouldnt be. I applaud protesters. This issue should not be presented in courts. Shame on them.

Comment by Mrs. Aa on December 24, 2011 at 1:27am: Are you kidding - they should fight for that right everywhere! A mother should always be allowed to feed her baby. It's insane that this kind of stuff happens at first place. :(