>
Janie wrote:

>
> The Denny's Restaurant in Asheville, NC was featured on the news  
> because
> they asked a breastfeeding woman to leave and actually called the  
> police.
> She was not arrested.  As a lactation consultant in the Asheville  
> area, I  have
> emailed Denny's home office and would ask that everyone would also  
> email
> with your comments.
> Janie
>

I learned something from a local city council member who helped pass  
an ordinance protecting breastfeeding in public spaces here.   She  
said that in such situations as Janie described it is helpful if the  
mother asks that the manager (or whoever is telling her she cannot  
breastfeed in that location) put it in writing.  This helps when the  
manager later tells the police, or the sheriff, or the court, that it  
was all a misunderstanding and that he never said such a thing.   
Also, when asked to put it in writing, the complainer often backtracks.

Of course this puts an added burden on the mother in an already  
stressful situation.  If we can educate breastfeeding families, first  
about the applicable laws and protections available to support them  
(some places pass out little cards with the protective laws printed  
on them), and exactly what to do if they are challenged about  
breastfeeding, they are better equipped to handle such situations if  
they come up.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC, LLLL
Madison, WI, USA
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