**Update post 81**
Ugh mamas. I am in Ontario, where the right to breastfeed wherever you have the right to be is a human right. At least as far as I know it is! I was just at a local diner with my kiddo, her dad, and my babe, and babe needed to nurse (I'd been gone for 3.5 hours doing an exam), so I nursed her. Discreetly, at the table in the corner, although of course that doesn't matter.
Got harassed in a big, awful way. First our waitress was totally silent with us delivering our food. M's dad thought it was coz I was nursing, I thought he was paranoid. Guess he was right because a few minutes later (Z was in her high chair by this point) someone else, I think the proprietor but not sure, came and told me I needed to bring a blanket to cover up. I told her, calmly, that I did not, that her asking me to cover up is a violation of the Human Rights Code, that mamas have a right to nurse wherever we have a right to be. She kept on, saying 'people are trying to eat.' I said I'm trying to eat!, asked her to leave several times, finally M's dad and I raised our voices, she left.
Comes back a few minutes later standing about our table, on the phone, says she has called the cops and they said she was right. I said they are mistaken. Several other staff got into the melee, I raised my voice coz obviously everyone was watching by this point, and said I was nursing my baby, that is my right, and leave us alone. M's dad made a funny crack about 'That's it! 10% tip!' LOL, but the whole thing had me upset and shaking. We were made a spectacle in front of the whole place, and I was blamed as instigating it by nursing. Awful.
So I come home, call the City Police to see what went down. Spoke with a Constable (got his name) who doesn't know who she spoke to, but told me they had every right to tell me to cover up, it's their business, I was not in a public place but an establishment, they could have told me to leave.
Well obviously that is completely false. I attempted to explain that to him, he became hostile, I asked for his supervisor. He wouldn't tell me at first, I said 'So you are refusing to tell me who your supervisor is?' and then he gave me the information.
Can you believe that? I'm in shock. And my 5 year old witnessed me being admonished and spoken to harshly for nursing her sister, witnessed a whole scene about how I should cover up with a blanket to nurse.
Wonderful.
I'm at a loss. I want to do something. Merely boycotting the place doesn't really cut it as it just means I lose out on a place I like to go to, yk? Wondering about a nurse in? I hesitate coz it's a small business, but OTOH she harassed me and harassed me, came back to harass me some more, and the staff harassed me too! She didn't leave well enough alone when I politely informed her I could nurse.
And the local police... holy crap! Something has GOT to be done about that. Obviously it's not just one officer with misinformation too, because this was not the guy the restaurant woman spoke to.
What the heck to do about alla that? I'm totally upset about it, it happened like an hour ago.
Ugh mamas. I am in Ontario, where the right to breastfeed wherever you have the right to be is a human right. At least as far as I know it is! I was just at a local diner with my kiddo, her dad, and my babe, and babe needed to nurse (I'd been gone for 3.5 hours doing an exam), so I nursed her. Discreetly, at the table in the corner, although of course that doesn't matter.
Got harassed in a big, awful way. First our waitress was totally silent with us delivering our food. M's dad thought it was coz I was nursing, I thought he was paranoid. Guess he was right because a few minutes later (Z was in her high chair by this point) someone else, I think the proprietor but not sure, came and told me I needed to bring a blanket to cover up. I told her, calmly, that I did not, that her asking me to cover up is a violation of the Human Rights Code, that mamas have a right to nurse wherever we have a right to be. She kept on, saying 'people are trying to eat.' I said I'm trying to eat!, asked her to leave several times, finally M's dad and I raised our voices, she left.
Comes back a few minutes later standing about our table, on the phone, says she has called the cops and they said she was right. I said they are mistaken. Several other staff got into the melee, I raised my voice coz obviously everyone was watching by this point, and said I was nursing my baby, that is my right, and leave us alone. M's dad made a funny crack about 'That's it! 10% tip!' LOL, but the whole thing had me upset and shaking. We were made a spectacle in front of the whole place, and I was blamed as instigating it by nursing. Awful.
So I come home, call the City Police to see what went down. Spoke with a Constable (got his name) who doesn't know who she spoke to, but told me they had every right to tell me to cover up, it's their business, I was not in a public place but an establishment, they could have told me to leave.
Well obviously that is completely false. I attempted to explain that to him, he became hostile, I asked for his supervisor. He wouldn't tell me at first, I said 'So you are refusing to tell me who your supervisor is?' and then he gave me the information.
Can you believe that? I'm in shock. And my 5 year old witnessed me being admonished and spoken to harshly for nursing her sister, witnessed a whole scene about how I should cover up with a blanket to nurse.
Wonderful.
I'm at a loss. I want to do something. Merely boycotting the place doesn't really cut it as it just means I lose out on a place I like to go to, yk? Wondering about a nurse in? I hesitate coz it's a small business, but OTOH she harassed me and harassed me, came back to harass me some more, and the staff harassed me too! She didn't leave well enough alone when I politely informed her I could nurse.
And the local police... holy crap! Something has GOT to be done about that. Obviously it's not just one officer with misinformation too, because this was not the guy the restaurant woman spoke to.
What the heck to do about alla that? I'm totally upset about it, it happened like an hour ago.
That is awful. I am sorry you went through that.
:
) You know I'm there to support you. Just let me know where and when I'll see if I can get there.
: I'm sorry you were treated this way 
