The “Snowballing” Hollister Nurse-In

January 5, 2013 By 2 Comments

Two weeks ago, Brittany Warfield was discriminated against, vilified, and berated by a store manager at the Hollister clothing store in the Houston Galleria. Shaken and demoralized, Brittany posted about the incident on facebook and called the Best for Babes NIP Hotline to report what happened. Now, the night before the huge, international Nurse-In to encourage Hollister to issue a well-deserved (and still declined) apology to Brittany for their ignorance. . . I’m reflecting on my participation in what has to be one of the most inspirational events I have ever been a part of.

How I Got Involved:

I was simply in the right place at the right time to offer my help in organizing a nurse-in at the Galleria Hollister. Visiting my mom and dad with the Silly Bears in Houston for the holidays, I became engaged in discussion with Michelle Hickman (another mom victimized by a retail store, last year) who now works with Best for Babes to help women safely and securely fulfill their right to nurse their children in public and private. She inspired me to share Brittany’s story with my friends and former co-workers at WIC in Brazoria County TX (South of Houston) . . . and then two days later, I was attending a organizational meeting for the nurse-in and volunteering my time and talent to spreading the word about Brittany’s story and the subsequent planned nurse-in.

I’ve been so blessed to be a part of the organization of this nurse in. It is AMAZING to see every day mothers standing up for the rights of women and children and rallying around and alongside one another to empower women to embrace their mothering journeys and be secure in their decisions and their rights. I’ve been helping to rally interested mothers, call media outlets, and I’m so excited to participate in the nurse-in to encourage Hollister to issue an apology to Brittany and her family for the unlawful discrimination and harassment that she suffered.

After being contacted by a local television station for an interview tonight 1 . . . I realized that this nurse-in that started as a local, Houston area rally to support a breastfeeding mom . . . has grown into a huge outpouring of support and cry for justice in the quest to empower mothers, normalize nursing, and encourage education and respectful discourse regarding breastfeeding.

“We will definitely be there at the Galleria tomorrow to talk with you and cover the event” said my contact with the television station. “This story has snowballed big time. It’s international now. . . there is lots of interest.”

Nursing Joe on photo shoot 19 Months (Nov. 2012)

Me with my youngest nursling, Joseph (20 months)

Wow. I thought. This is pretty amazing.

Our Hopes for the Nurse-In Tomorrow:

We are very excited to be present at the Galleria tomorrow to EDUCATE to the normalcy of nursing and to ENCOURAGE Hollister and Preston to see the error of their ways and present an apology to Brittany and her family.

We would love to INSPIRE the company to institute training on Breastfeeding law and the normalcy of nursing, and we are hoping to EMPOWER women to own their mothering experience and stand up for the rights of a mother and her child.

It’s exciting to be able to be a part of INCITING cultural and social change regarding Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding law, and to look forward to a future when there will be a “Law with teeth” to enforce the Breastfeeding laws that entitle a woman to nurse in public.

Nothing in our goals for tomorrow has anything to do what so ever with desiring the manager to lose his job or be punished in any way. We sincerely hope that this rumor is just that- a rumor. And we encourage everyone to redirect their energy to getting pumped up for a calm, inspiring, and empowering demonstration tomorrow at the nurse-in!!!!!

bf moms

If you are interested in learning more about breastfeeding or nursing in public, please visit Natural Parents Network and Nursing Freedom

If you are interested in more information on why breastfeeding is so important to our nation’s public health, please visit Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative USA or La Leche League International

If you are looking to research breastfeeding laws in your state, please visit the National Conference on State Legislatures site

. . . and if you EVER, like Brittany and the hundreds and thousands of mothers like her, become the victim of breastfeeding discrimination or harassment for nursing, please call the Best for babes NIP Hotline at 1-855-NIP-FREE

All the best to you and yours!

And if you feel so inclined, PLEASE do leave a comment below. I blog to CONNECT with you!

- Amy

 

  1. and then usurped by a “breaking news story”. . . I hope no one was hurt, but I heard a helicopter a minute after I received that call. . . ↩
Filed Under: 2013, Abbey, Advocacy, Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, children, courage, family, full-term breastfeeding, health, Joseph, Lactivism, Parenting, Self Awareness, volunteering

No Apology from Hollister Store after Manager Openly Berated Nursing Mom

January 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“Brittany Warfield was nursing her beautiful 7 month old daughter on a bench right outside Hollister in the Houston Galleria. The store manager came out and bullied the nursing mother by yelling at her to leave. She was humilated and embarrassed. No mother should EVER feel that way. Breastfeeding needs to be supported and encouraged to ensure a nursing mother’s success. It is also our right as women to nurse in public. So come on out, bring your baby and lets show our support for not only this mother but ALL mothers and their right to nurse their children when ever and where ever that may be. Let’s make sure not one more mother ever has to feel this way again.”

From the Nurse in @ Hollister Galleria Store and Nationwide Facebook Event Page

When Brittany was bullied for breastfeeding her infant, and yelled at to leave the Houston Galleria Hollister store by one of the store managers, it demonstrated a deep-seeded cultural belief that breastfeeding is inappropriate in public – a pervasive opinion that threatens our nation’s public health by criminalizing a perfectly normal and necessary activity – nursing a child.

Nursing is Normal

Nursing is like breathing, walking, or sipping a cup of coffee. It’s normal, natural, and there’s nothing inappropriate about it. But still, there are many reported cases every year of women (and their children) being discriminated against, bullied, and harassed by individuals and employees of businesses like Target and Applebees – for breastfeeding. These incidences keep happening, even though breastfeeding openly, in public, as needed by the child, is legally protected in 45 U.S. states

squareAnother example of how uneducated our culture is on breastfeeding is the volume of reported cases that do not receive public attention: Best for Babes recently started a Hotline for moms who are harassed for nursing in public, and within the first week, 8 cases were reported to the Hotline. It’s incredible how uneducated the public is on the legal and human rights of a mother and her baby to nurse, and how pervasive the thought that nursing is somehow an inappropriate or inherently “private” act . . . nursing is normal, and I wish that everyone could understand that.

Bullying is Not OK

Even if an individual doesn’t understand that nursing is normal and not inappropriate at all, I am struck by how eager our culture can be to bully and harass. What happened to Brittany and her children at the Galleria Hollister was mean spirited, unprofessional, and rude. Simply put, bullying and harassment is NOT ok – no matter how you feel about something.

Still No Apology

What separates Brittany’s case from the others in the recent past is that Hollister has declined to even make an attempt at an apology or movement to rectify their obviously lacking training for employees regarding state breastfeeding laws. Because of this reaction, breastfeeding advocates (including myself) are planning a Nurse-In at the Houston Galleria Hollister and Nationwide, to support Brittany, educate to the state laws that protect breastfeeding in public, and try to show the public that nursling is normal.The Nurse-In will occur on Sat January 5th at 3:00 PM local time.

Nurse InThe Nurse-In will be a peaceful gathering of mothers, nursing babies and children, and our supporters. We hope that it will receive local and national attention and that we can make positive change toward helping our culture respect the human and legal rights of a mother and her child!

If you are interested in participating in the Nation-Wide Nurse in, you can join in the discussion and find Hollister Nurse Ins near you HERE.

 

 

Filed Under: Advocacy, Breastfeeding, full-term breastfeeding, health, Lactivism, volunteering

Why I Advocate for Breastfeeding

October 30, 2012 By 8 Comments

Breastfeeding hasn’t always been easy for me, but I’m so glad that I persevered and made breastfeeding work for me.

Because in being a breastfeeding mother and a student of lactation and advocacy, I have come to learn through fact and experiences that breastfeeding is amazing for families – not just nutritionally, but for nurture, learning, and connection.

Watch me lift my 16 month old youngest Silly Bear to my breast on demand, though, and you’d probably think, as others have commented,

“Wow, that seems so easy for you – he latches right on! I wish it were that easy when I tried!”

It Hasn’t Always Been Easy

I’ve been nursing for nearly four years now, and though it seems that nursing comes easy to me, believe me, I’ve seen my share of challenges. From getting Abbey back to the breast during a NICU stay when she was newly born, to judgement from a superior about breast exposure in my role as a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, to a demanding, difficult nursing dynamic from my older child when I was pregnant with our second Silly Bear, and everywhere in-between.

I’ve been told that I was starving my child by an ignorant M.D. I’ve been told that I was disgusting for nursing my babies past infancy. I’ve been told that I’ll spoil my babies by nursing them on demand. I’ve even been chastised for feeding my children at the breast in public (I have also been commended for this). But I know via fact and experience that this negativity is pure ignorance, and I wouldn’t ever change my decision to bless my children’s tummies, hearts, and little lives with my milk and my comfort. Despite the challenges I have faced, the decision to be dedicated to nursing my children is one that I am incredibly proud of.

Feeding Tummies, Hearts, and Minds

Holding my children at my breast feeds them with more than just ideal nutrition – it feeds their hearts to know love and comfort, and it feeds their minds to understand respect, compassion, and boundaries, too.

A breastfeeding relationship is more than a feeding implement. It’s a beautiful, challenging, and dynamic learning experience for mother and child, designed to nourish, teach, and nurture both mother and child.

  •  This is why I advocate for feeding children at the breast – because breastfeeding is important. It’s more than just awesome nutrition – it’s a formative experience for mother, child, and family – giving protection from illnesses, a soft place to run for comfort, and an education to love, patience, and nurture.

 

  • This is why I breastfeed my children, and why I am not ashamed or embarrassed to do so. This is why I tell my friends about the enormous benefits to nursing. This is why I offer my help to anyone I meet with a little nursling or a baby on the way.

 

Because I would like to see every mother, child, and family blessed by the wonder that is nutrition, nourishment, and nurture at the breast. Against any and all societal ignorance, in the face of misinformation and greed, and through struggles and adverse conditions: I want to see every mother, child, and family blessed by the beauty that is breastfeeding. 

Whatever I can do to make that dream closer to a reality, I will do for moms and their families. I’m blessed to have had experience working and learning as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor in Texas, excited to be studying and working toward volunteer breastfeeding support here in Maine, and looking forward to continuing my studies to qualify for the IBCLC Exam and turn helping families embrace and succeed at breastfeeding into a career.

 

 

What is your reaction to the knowledge that breastfeeding is more than just nutrition?

 

Have you experienced the power of breastfeeding in your family?

Filed Under: Advocacy, Attachment Parenting, baby, Breastfeeding, children, courage, full-term breastfeeding, infancy, Lactivism, natural parenting, Parenting, preschooler, Self Awareness, toddler, volunteering

Mamatography 2012- September Week 1

September 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This week started out with a “last hurrah” of sorts. We broke out the inflatable water slide that we inherited from friends of ours for one last summertime extravaganza with friends over Labor Day Weekend. Here’s Joseph manning one of the squirt guns, and a friend of ours in the background striking a not-so-flattering pose as Hubs jokingly aimed a football at him. Ah, fun times!

Abbey and her friend Abbi warmed up in towels between playing on the water slide and at the park.

After our labor day fun, I got back to work, sewing a custom order of ReUsable Sandwich Bags for a friend.

I really enjoyed making them, and I she was impressed with my workmanship and my lovely woven labels that came in over the weekend! “So professional!” she beamed.

Well, I hardly would call myself a professional because I have a lot of work ahead of me if I’m actually going to succeed at having a Handmade Store, but if I’m going to do Silly Bear Handmade, I’m going to do it right. And labeling goods meant for children appropriately  is a must!

Then on Tuesday, I got a super awful allergy attack. Headaches, drainage, red, leaky eyes – the works!

Yay for a change of season! (said no allergy sufferer ever).

Everybody in the family then caught a cold. So, it’s been a lot of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and nose-blowing around here.

But, I still had a baby shower BBQ to plan and prepare for for our friends this week. So, I got to work cutting out a zillion (ok, maybe just under a hundred) tiny paper onesies and embellishing them with nautical themed embroideries (I made them embroidering directly onto water soluble stabilizer and then glued them onto the paper). I was not feeling well (still feeling crappy as I write this!) but when you’re a busy mama, the show must go on!

I made a couple lines of pennants in orange blue and white (Coast Guard colors) and went with a loose interpretation of my friends’ Nautical baby theme for the party prep.

I think the Pirate Baby “Ne’er Say Baby” game was a HIT and a fun touch.

But my favorite creation by far was the “Wishes for Baby” cards that I made. They turned out super cute, and I think the idea is so sweet. Everyone at the party filled one out and I hope that my friends (who are expecting their second baby, a little boy) really enjoyed reading them.

And last but certainly not least this week are the nautical jello cups that I made for the party.

The kids LOVED them, and I have to say, they came out pretty cute! This was another Pinterest Success! (I also found the idea for the “Wishes For Baby” cards on Pinterest and pinned them to my boards).

Other happenings for this past week included Abbey’s second week of full time preschool at the CDC, watching President Obama’s Nomination Acceptance speech at the DNC with the Hubs, and chatting with my parents not once but twice over the phone (I think I may miss them a little, huh?)

Next week, I celebrate my 25th birthday, am attending the Ombudsman Appreciation Dinner on base, and will have to say goodbye to Hubs as he prepares to go Underway again soon.

But more about next week – next week. This week, let’s relish in the amazing-ness that is JELLO.

Yum.

That was our week. How was YOURS?

 

Filed Under: 2012, Abbey, children, creating for the family, family, hubs, Joseph, mamatography, preschooler, silly bear handmade, summer fun, toddler, USCG Life, volunteering

Mamatography Week 17

May 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
This post is part of Mamatography 2012, a project hosted by Diary of a First Child. The goal is to document the entire year of 2012 in photos. Paired with my participation in fellow Coast Guard Wife Courtney Kirkland‘s 52 Faces project and her Move to Manual series, I am definitely learning more about my camera, my photos, & my kids, and I’ll have plenty of great photos to document 2012. 
Please visit the links at the bottom of my post to see other Mamatography posts!
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 Mommy attended a training last week for my volunteer work as Command Ombudsman for my Hubs’ Coast Guard Cutter. It was a 9-3 training Monday through Wed, and Abbey got to experience a full day at the Child Development center while Joseph stayed at home with daddy. It was a different (and actually surprisingly wonderful) dynamic. Hubs’ mentioned to me that he liked the feeling of bonding more with Joe, and he could tell that I benefitted from doing something other than mothering/cleaning/household managing.

We’ve decided to make it a priority that daddy takes responsibility for the kids more often while I work on my new business, or do Ombudsman volunteer activities, or simply just have a mommy day. We just have to make sure that we WATCH Abbey carefully when we allow her to help with the motorcycle cleaning, daddy! (She cut herself on a tool this week, and came to us with a bleeding thumb, saying, “I touched the danger thing, and it hurt me!”)

Joe seems pretty chill with the idea of more daddy time. 
Here he is, relaxing after a trip to the park with daddy :)

 But back to the daily grind. . . kiddos at the park (and one with an awful scrape on his face!)

Now that Joe can walk well, he’s into everything!!!!

He’s also discovering the joy of playing with Raven
. . . and resisting naps a bit, which makes him a little drowsy when he wakes up from them. . . *YAWN*

 My Silly Bears in my Ombudsman stuff. . . *sigh* . . . it was all organized. . . the life of a multi-tasking mama! :) They made up for getting into my papers by being absolutely adorable the first time that Joseph used his new booster seat for dinner. He was so excited to be at the family table! (we repurposed his weaning table for a reading table in his room).

And that was our week. How was YOURS?

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Are you up for a challenge? One that will take something from you every day, but give a whole lot back too? How about joining me for the photography challenge in 2012 then? A photo a day of whatever your day involved. You can jump in any time through the year!

If you’d still like to join us, you can start at any time, just sign up here and our host will email you further information.
Without further ado, here is the current list of all participants for Mamatography 2012 so far!
Filed Under: Abbey, hubs, Joseph, mamatography, Ombudsman, photography, silly bear handmade, USCG Life, volunteering