This past week there have been several reports on the evening news here in
Perth concerning breastfeeding.  the first report was on the concern that
more women are choosing not to breastfeed because they are embarrased.  The
sexualization of breasts in the media and magazines etc was blamed for this.
The report was presented as something to be concerned about.

Second report- a woman was asked to leave a Transperth (commuter) train
because she was breastfeeding her baby.  This was the lead story and the
program "Today Tonight" (sort of like 20/20 in the US) had it as their lead
story.  Passengers on the Transperth trains were interviewed and only
possitive responces were given.  One old toothless man said "well. mother
animals feed their babies- it's only right". An elderly woman said
"breastfeeding has surely been around for longer than these trains or TV or
any of the rest of it"  the rail company has made a public apology and has
said that they welcome all mothers who wish to "feed their babies naturally"
on their trains.  They are looking at schedules and security tapes to
determine what rail employee made the woman leave the train.  The rail
company said the employee will recieve counceling.

The third report was of the "nurse in" that took place on the Trans Perth
trains.  There was a long and very clear shot of a nipple and a baby
latching on. The moms in the nurse in were discrete and one of them stated
"we're not about showing our breasts in public.  We're feeding our babies
the best food there is".   I was asked by one of the parenting advocacy
groups here if I would participate in a planned "nurse in" but declined for
lots of reasons.  Not the least of which it was at 8:00 AM on a school day
and I had to get the kids to school.

All in all I felt that there was really good, positive reporting.  there was
nothing at all negative in any of the reports about nursing in public being
indecent.  It seems that in Perth at least, breastfeeding is a fact of life.
(Now if we could only get them to keep at it- right Joy?!)

Nancy Sherwood LLLL- IBCLC Perth, Australia