I plan to call them, and I also sent them a message through their website:
I enjoy shopping at JC Penney and often bring along my young son, whom I breastfeed. There have been a number of times that I will be out with him and he will need to eat, so I have breastfed him discreetly (though in a public place).
I wanted to send you a message to let you know that breastfeeding is a natural and important part of a child's development, and no store should prevent or discourage mothers from doing so.
In fact, I will actively seek out places that offer nursing facilities to mothers and go there first for what I need...it may be a benefit to JC Penney to set up a room that has a changing table, rocking chair, and small couch for mothers to use to nurse in privacy. Babies R Us is a perfect example, they have a Mother's Room which I love, as I do not have to fear my son throwing a tantrum and cutting my shopping trip short--I can just stop in, nurse him for a few minutes, change his diaper and then he's happy for the rest of my time in the store.
Asking a nursing mother to go to a bathroom is unsanitary, unkind, and discourages nursing in general. Due to the massive health benefits babies receive from breastmilk, it is important to encourage new mothers to breastfeed and it is also important to stress that it is a good thing to the general populace in order to change public opinion. Your chain would do well to pioneer a change in thinking on this topic. Just a suggestion. Thank you for taking the time to read my message and have a good day.
I think I might take this letter and send it to a whole bunch of chain stores to try and help bring about a change...I know that if all stores had a small "Mothers Room" available I would definitely shop there.
Feel free to borrow this if you want to send it along!
- Jen