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Can I breastfeed my baby in public? 



Photo: Rosalia Passos 

Science tells us "breastfeeding is the best start in life for a new born". Adding to all the scientific great reasons, I strongly encourage first time mothers to breastfed their babies: it is one of the most bounding and loving feelings you can develop with your little baby. 
Breastfeeding does not happen "all naturally and easy" as we seen advertised. It takes time, it is a learning process between the mother and the new born ... It takes practice! It can require hard work and definitely requires persistence and determination. Ireland breastfeeding rates are very low. There is a long way to go to build a breastfeeding culture. And, unfortunately, we still seen stories like the one bellow. 
Very recently, a paper in Co. Mayo published an article commenting on a situation which a reader was asked to breastfeed her baby in the toilets by the GAA steward before the match starts (The woman arrived early so she could feed her baby before people came). Helen Mortimer, an inspiring friend of mine who had breastfed 5 babies and experienced this in the past, wrote a letter to the paper. Please, let me share with you and feel free to share to as many friends you can. 
Every mother has the right to choose the type of food she wants to give to her baby, and a baby has the right to food. No mother should never be ashamed of breastfeeding, that is the opposite, they should be proud, happy and be encouraged to do! 

"Dear Editor,
Ciara Galvin’s front page story (July 3rd) and Aine Ryan’s subsequent commentary (July 10th) on the treatment of Iseult Mangan brought me back…. Thirty five years ago I experienced something similar. Breastfeeeding my son in a corner of a coffee shop in a well known department store in Galway (no longer in business) a waiter approached me and said “You’ll have to do that in the toilets”.  
I was an experienced breastfeeder (and contrarian) and I refused. The waiter pointed out that another (female) customer had complained. I suggested to the waiter that he tell the woman from me that if it bothered her, then she should go and have her tea in the toilet. I might add that I was not displaying bare flesh and had learned to feed my babies in the most discreet way possible. So it was definitely the ‘idea’ of it that bothered this customer.  Here we are three decades later ….and plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.
Breastfeeding is ‘the most natural thing in the world” we are told. Yet Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.Breastfeeding is bloody hard work, exhausting and time consuming. The last thing a nursing mother needs is to be censured by an anachronistic misogynist who sees something indecent or inappropriate in a nursing mother’s right to feed her baby in a public place.
Le meas,
Helen Mortimer,Headford,Co. Galway"



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