Mother Talkers

Mother Harassed at Universal Studios for... (You Guessed it) Breastfeeding in Public

by 1plain1peanut

Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 07:50:28 AM PDT


Here we go again.  Another mom was breastfeeding her child in public, and some employee took it upon themselves to tell her to cover up.  Cheryl Cruz, who is from St. John’s, NL, Canada was vacationing with her family at Universal Studios in Orlando.  She sat on a bench outdoors to feed her 10 month old daughter, Kalli, when an employee named Megan said she’d have to cover up.

"I'm just feeding her, minding my own business, there's hardly anyone at the resort, [and] suddenly this lady comes over to me and says, 'Listen I want you to cover up, this is a family affair,' " Cruz said Thursday.

Cruz stated that she had the right to feed her child in public.  And, under Florida law she is right.

Shortly after, Cruz said security guards who made her feel scared, humiliated and belittled surrounded her.
"I said, 'You know what? Go ahead, call security, and for that matter, call your lawyers as well, because these are human rights issues,'" she said.

I think what she did took a lot of guts and I commend her.  A lot of mothers would have shirked away, but not Cruz.  And by the way... I don’t blame these moms for not wanting to deal with confrontation... it’s tough being publicly humiliated.  

Ms. Cruz is used to seeing breastfeeding in public in her native Canada.  

A Canadian breast-feeding expert said she believes what happened to Cruz wouldn't have happened in Canada.

"I think we are a little more relaxed," Lorraine Burrage, co-chairwoman of NL Breastfeeding Coalition, said. "We are changing. It's just that we don't have a lot of role models of breast-feeding in our society."

Universal Studios said that the employees went against company policy by harassing this woman.  The statement from Universal:

The specific team members will also be apologizing to the guest

And...

Our policy is to allow breastfeeding in our theme parks – and while we provide special, enclosed, air conditioned locations, for the comfort of our guests, we do not require guests to use these locations."

Why does this keep happening?  Companies who make their business serving the public should EDUCATE their employees that breastfeeding in public is okay.  It needs to be part of employee training, or mothers are going to continue to get harassed and these companies are going to continue to look bad.  

What do you think MotherTalkers.  Isn’t this getting old???

Tags: Cheryl Cruz, public breastfeeding, Universal Studios, Canada, Lorraine Burrage (all tags)

Permalink | 21 comments

  • Very Old (0 / 0)

    Yes, very very old.  "Gee, we made them apologize, they didn't know any better" just shouldn't cut it anymore for a company with that many resources.  This is not some little burger shack with five employees.  

    http://www.tacomamama.com

    by jenyum on Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 08:19:24 AM PDT

    • That's what gets me... (0 / 0)

      Why this isn't part of employee training is beyond me.  Let's face it... their customer base is families and some of those families are going to have nursing mothers in them.  

      "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream..."

      by 1plain1peanut on Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 11:59:42 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • I think we have to start using (0 / 0)

    a framing that includes the words "civil rights".  If one is in a state, such as Florida, in which breastfeeding in public is protected by law, one is exercising one's "civil rights" when doing so.  Call the ACLU.  That seems to put the fear of God into corporations.

    by tjb22 on Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 10:36:37 AM PDT

  • I cringe (0 / 0)

    when I read "we allow breastfeeding..." as if women need permission (and from whom I'd like to know???).   I would be furious and loud about it if this had happened to me while I breastfed.  It's outrageous and NONE of anyone's business where or how a Mom breastfeeds her baby.  I would love the opportunity to have a face off with someone who tried to make a Mom stop breastfeeding in public, or coverup etc...how ridiculous.

    It's inconceivable this is happening in today's world in this country.  OUTRAGEOUS.

    The women quoted saying "this is a family affair.." as if breastfeeding isn't exactly that and way more than some stinkin amusement park.  

    .

    karen

    by karen m on Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 01:14:03 PM PDT

  • I do appreciate (0 / 0)

    that they have special (air-conditioned) locations where moms can go if they want, especially as I had to nurse my baby in two parking lots the other day while shopping.  There was simply nowhere else to sit.  Incredibly frustrating!

    by coobert on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 05:14:55 AM PDT

    • I know (0 / 0)

      it shows how far down the agenda women's/mother's rights are that it's exceptional that Universal "allows" pubic breastfeeding and sets aside locations for moms to go if they want. BTW, I wonder if Universal's women employees can use those nice locations to pump/express milk?!

      by Rachel on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 02:17:35 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    • Yeah (0 / 0)

      I remember sitting on the floor of bathroom stalls to nurse my first daughter. Once when I was all dressed up at a fancy restaurant. That was before I got comfortable nursing in public!

      by trueblue illinois on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 06:00:14 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • I was at Disney last month, (0 / 0)

    not far from Universal, and I saw several breast-feeding moms. Not a problem.

    However, one of them had removed the entire left side of her shirt -- basically, half her chest was bare -- and all that obscured her nipple was her latched-on baby. I don't have a problem with this -- I nursed both my kids for over a year, frequently in restaurants, shopping malls and other public places -- but I could understand it if someone else felt uncomfortable. I would never advocate for her to leave or quit nursing, but it wouldn't have seemed unreasonable to me to ask that she maybe throw a nursing blanket over her bare chest.

    by trueblue illinois on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 03:55:26 PM PDT

    • Totally ... (0 / 0)

      but I think that's really rare.  The vast majority of nuring mothers will make some effort to not "bare it all."  My friends are all very open about breastfeeding and I'd honestly have to try to see much at all.  My mom, who is VERY against bf'ing in public always tries to paint it like it involves stripping.  Drives me insane.

      by Pastry Demon on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 06:37:46 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      • I agree (0 / 0)

        I don't think most moms are looking to bare a lot of skin while breastfeeding.  Most I know are looking do be discreet.  

        "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dream..."

        by 1plain1peanut on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 07:05:24 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        • no kidding (0 / 0)

          in winter, it's waaay too cold to bare all, and in summer, man, who wants to get sunburn on your breasts?! My god, the pain, the pain!

          by Rachel on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 07:51:47 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        • Yeah ... that's what was kind of weird. (0 / 0)

          She had removed one side of her shirt so that her chest and arm were completely bare. She was sitting on a bench in a line for an attraction, so there was this long line of people -- a captive audience -- filing past her. And she was meeting people's gaze very directly. It almost seemed like she was daring people to tell her to cover up or to stop nursing. More power to her -- in a sense she is standing up for the rest of us -- but as I said, I could understand how the more prudish among us would feel somewhat uncomfortable.

          by trueblue illinois on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 08:49:52 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

  • Hee Hee (0 / 0)

    They should have known better than to mess with a Newfie.  You don't live on a rock in the sea without learning not to take crap from anyone or anything.  

    To be fair though, it's easier for women to bf in Canada due to the year long mat leave.  When you've got the time to really establish a bfing relationship it's more common - when you have to run back to work at 3 weeks it's so much harder to really get into the groove.   When it's more common it's more accepted and it just becomes natural for women to nurse wherever they happen to be.  

    But yes...it's tiresome for this to continue.  

    "Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight. Gotta kick at the darkness til it bleeds daylight"

    by lonestar canuck on Mon Nov 12, 2007 at 02:24:14 PM PDT

  • What's odd about me (0 / 0)

    is that even if I had a problem with breastfeeding in public, which I totally don't, I don't think I'd have the skirt to go up to someone and tell them to stop what she was doing immediately.  But maybe it's just manners and/or my attitude.  I also wouldn't go up to someone who was bottlefeeding and give her a lecture on "breast is best."  I suppose I just like to mind my own business and live & let live.  

    But I'm really glad the woman didn't back down.  "We allow breastfeeding," my aunt fanny.  What a ridiculous way to try & justify the incident on the part of Universal.

    by cynmill on Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 09:40:27 AM PDT

    • don't get it (0 / 0)

      I don't get people who care about stuff like this one way or the other either.

      And there sure are plenty of people out there who love to give a bottle feeding mom a lecture or a snide comment or look too, that is for sure.  Also totally unacceptable.

      by NJmom on Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 11:43:30 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • here's an interesting little tid-bit (0 / 0)

    my great grandmother, my nanny, was nursing in the Victorian era and it was scandalous to reveal your ankle, but just fine to whip out a breast and nurse.        
        it's sad that we've come an entire century past that and we have to fight just to feed our babies, but little girls can walk around looking like las vegas hookers and no one bothers about them!
        I would like to see the ACLU pick up the torch on that one and press to make breast-feeding education part of employee training.

      Here's a bit of an interesting question though, how much exposure is acceptable? single breast? should you be required to have a nursing cover? just wondering...

    you get what you give

    by momof2 on Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 10:30:38 AM PDT

    • I feel that in the vast majority of cases... (0 / 0)

      mandating level of exposure is unnecessary.  Most nursing mothers are trying not to expose anything.  The few who do (like the woman w/ 1/2 her shirt off!  I can only assume she was trying to make a point and didn't need to do that) can just be ignored.  If people don't like to see it, they can just look away. Telling women they have to wear some kind of cover seems to send a mixed message about the appropriateness of breastfeeding.  If it's so great -- then why all the secrecy?  Why be made to feel you're doing something dirty under there?

      What disturbs me most about the frenzy surrounding these incidents is that I feel it may push someone who is pregnant, unsure of themselves and on the fence regarding nursing into not nursing.  Like, why bother -- I'll never be able to leave the house w/out being harrassed.  Most people don't like that kind of attention.

      by Pastry Demon on Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 02:43:34 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

Permalink | 21 comments