A nurse in???

[abc123xyz]

Anyone interested??? I was recently bullies while breastfeeding my child at a christian school in Lee County...Anyone near??? Wanna nurse in with me??? I was told I needed to sit in a secluded room or leave the premises because I was offensive to others and should have more respect for myself. I quoted the law and was told that I didn't know what I was talking about and that I needed to be quiet because "You might know alot of things about alot of things but you don't know what you are talking about right now." The kicker is, my mother in law works at this place and allowed this to happen while I was nursing her 3 month old grandchild and her 2 year old grandchild was standing next to me. I have written a letter, contacted first right and pulled tons of info I am going to bring in tomorrow. I would consider myself a lactivist but never thought I would be doing this!!! I discreetly nurse and most people come up and say, "Oh let me see the baby...is he sleeping?" And I say, "No, he's nursing but you can still see him!" I always wear a tank top under my shirt and am respectful of others but I am outraged to say the least that not only was I treated in such an ugly fashion, my children were too! This perpetual cycle of ignorance has got to stop!!!
If anyone is interested, let me know!!!
Thanks,

[Starcat2]

wow I'm sorry to hear this. I'm kinda far away (like other side of the country) but thought I'd give ya' some support.

[PatioGardener]

I am so sorry you are going through this.

Usually a nurse-in is a 'last resort' protest - after the 'higher-ups' of the offending institution have had a chance to apologise and correct the issue, etc. Often educating the ignorant fixes the problem without having to have a protest. I hope this is the same in your situation.

Please let us know what sort of response you get from the letter/educational info etc.

[abc123xyz]

Yes, I am not in real favor of a nurse in immediately. I am going to deliver the letter today and will definitely keep updates on the outcome. I am not being slandered via facebook by the daughters of the lady that yelled at me! It's so lovely!

[goldfinches]

Do your children go to this school?

[abc123xyz]

No, my husband went there k-12, we both taught there for a year, my mil works there and has for the past 20 years and my husband and fil coach sports there! we are pretty involved! it's real disheartening!!!

[abc123xyz]

at the same time, my mil allowed this demeaning to happen in the first place!

[annettemarie]

I think it is really important to separate out your feelings about your MIL from what happened with the school officials.

You may want to look at the law and report it to First Right. Sometimes it also helps to notify the Department of Health about the incident. They can help you know if you have any recourse.

Before a nurse in, a letter to the higher ups at the school, the principal, etc, would all be preferable. After all, ideally you want them to understand what they did wrong and for it not to happen again. Threatening them with a nurse-in and negative publicity right off the bat is not likely to make that happen.

I am sorry this happened to you.

[SashaBear]

Since its Christian, throw in Mary nursing Jesus. Find breastfeeding references in the bible and quote them. Nothing God created is shameful!

[abc123xyz]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

I think it is really important to separate out your feelings about your MIL from what happened with the school officials.

Along with being my MIL, she is also a school "official" or at least at the same level as the woman who disciplined me! And she sat there and watched it take place. Infront of my children which is fine if she didn't feel compelled to defend me but she should have defended her grandchildren!

Secondly, I don't plan to do a nurse in just yet but from the way things are going, it seems like it may end up being the course of action! Slander on facebook saying I am flashing people for beads by this woman's 30 year old daughters is ridiculous! All because of breastfeeding my little baby ;*(

I have written a letter and plan to deliver it after my LLL leader gets back to me about the recourse involved and I did send this into firstright and they told me they have added it to their database.

I really just want to know if I go there and nurse, can they call the cops on me for doing so? Can I be arrested? What is the legal recourse after that? My husband coaches baseball there and he wants my children and myself to be there as we always have been. It seems awful that I can't support him because I am a nursing mother!

[annettemarie]

I think if they ask you to leave, thus revoking your permission to be there, then yes, you could be arrested for trespassing, because it is private property. I would also at this point be worried about reprecussions for my husband's employment.

Again, I am sorry this happened.

[annekh23]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

I think if they ask you to leave, thus revoking your permission to be there, then yes, you could be arrested for trespassing, because it is private property. I would also at this point be worried about reprecussions for my husband's employment.

Surely that would depend on how the law is worded, some don't have statements about it being a place where you are legally allowed to be, more about the purpose of you being there, so if you are there to watch your husband's baseball team, if being there to watch doesn't require an invitation and the fact the game is happening is in some way advertised to the public, then a lawyer might argue that the nature of the event and how it is promoted has made the location a public place, in the same way that a shop is privately owned, but in having opening hours and not requiring membership makes it a public place.

If the law is phrased in such a way that the above logic doesn't work, then suddenly changing you status as to whether you are allowed to be there could fall into another legally dubious area around discrimination, which has gone both ways in the courts.

[annettemarie]

Mamajake, our resident legal genius, has explained it well in the past. I'll see if I can do a search.

[annettemarie]

OK, found one.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1041619

[annekh23]

In the end, I think mentioning the law is often not helpful, unless it is black and white applicable and I'm hesitant to even try and suggest any locations where that would be the case when it comes to breastfeeding, it's way easier to have clarity when the law is about what you can't do not what you can do. Eg laws about smoking, you can't smoke in certain places, end of story, it's nothing to do with whether you are allowed to be there and changing whether you are allowed to be there doesn't change anything.

Interestingly the wording of the smoking ban in the UK was written in such a way as to cover private locations other than homes, so that you couldn't create a work around by converting a bar to a club that you had to join.

Seems like the intention of laws that protect breastfeeding are intended to mean if both of you can be there, then you can breastfeed, other than in someone elses home and that whether or not you are allowed to be there cannot be changed because of breastfeeding, but that sentiment may well not be the result if it were if it actually came to court.

[goldfinches]

Originally Posted by jkseawell

I really just want to know if I go there and nurse, can they call the cops on me for doing so? Can I be arrested? What is the legal recourse after that? My husband coaches baseball there and he wants my children and myself to be there as we always have been. It seems awful that I can't support him because I am a nursing mother!

That was why I asked if your children went there. Every christian school I've known has been private, and on private property, so I would think that if you didn't have any legal reason to be there, they could ask you to leave. I would hope they wouldn't have you arrested!!!

Honestly, I would try to approach this calmly with an attitude of reconciliation since you obviously have a long history with them and current history and probably future. Not sure exactly how to do that, though...