Diane,

There was a situation in our area last summer where a young woman who uses
a wheelchair went to the rest room in 2 different large department stores.
She found that the handicap stall was blocked by a chair.  When she asked
for help, she was told that the chair was in the stall for breastfeeding
mothers.  She later sought help in writing to the stores about this matter.
 She was pursuing it from the standpoint of interfering with the Americans
for Disabilities Act.  She asked me for a letter from the standpoint of
nursing mothers.  She never got back to me to coordinate our letters, so
mine was never sent.  But here it is.  Perhaps it will be of some help to
you:

Manager
____ Department Store
(address)
Madison, WI

Dear Sir or Madam:
(I will get the actual names)

I recently heard of a situation in which a person who depends on a
motorized wheelchair was unable to use the handicap-accessible stall in the
ladies room at your department store.  A chair had been placed in the stall
so that nursing mothers would have a private place to breastfeed a baby.

I am disturbed by this situation on several accounts.  People who are
wheelchair-bound need to have access to bathroom facilities.  The
handicap-accessible stalls are there to meet their special needs.  They
have enough obstacles to overcome as it is, without having access to the
restroom facilities hindered by a chair that they cannot maneuver around.

Another concern is the expectation that nursing mothers should feed their
babies in a bathroom stall.  This is not hygienic.  I doubt that any
restaurant would pass public health inspection if the kitchen and bathroom
facilities were located in the same room.  It is also not a pleasant,
comfortable or relaxing place for a mother to nurse her baby.

I would like to call your attention to the fact that on March 22, 1996,
Governor Tommy Thompson signed into law Assembly Bill 154 which protects a
mother's right to breastfeed in public in Wisconsin.  Mothers may
breastfeed their babies wherever they legally have a right to be.  If a
mother feels most comfortable nursing her child in a location with privacy,
may I suggest that you direct her to a dressing room or a quiet spot
elsewhere with a comfortable chair.  However, if a mother wishes to
breastfeed anywhere in your store, what about helping her feel comfortable
and commending her on the way she is nourishing her baby in the healthiest
and most natural way possible.  The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its
December 1997 statement, recommended that infants be exclusively breastfed
for the first six months after birth, and continue breastfeeding for at
least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.

I am enclosing a copy of Governor Thompson's proclamation proclaiming
August as Breastfeeding Promotion Month in Wisconsin.  If you would like
any assistance in making your store more friendly to breastfeeding mothers,
a large potential segment of your customer base, I would be very happy to
meet with you to discuss some ways to do so.


                                                  Sincerely,




                                                  Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC and LLL leader in Madison, Wisconsin
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