Target Store Nurse-In Anticipated After Breastfeeding Mother Harassed in Houston

Trying to figure out what your point is here??!!

My POINT is that there will be a nurse-in at Target stores nationwide due to the situation explained. Did you read the post?

"For guests in our stores, we support the use of fitting rooms for women who wish to breastfeed their babies, even if others are waiting to use the fitting rooms. In addition, guests who choose to breastfeed discreetly in more public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable."

And, because some people may be "uncomfortable," they're ignorant???


"that not only is breastfeeding far superior to formula feeding"

That's a matter of opinion~you're obviously biased, and not receptive to differing opinions, so I'll say no more. Don't even bother to respond~I ignore Gatherers who can't have civil conversations!

yes, breastfeeding is not a form of indecent exposure. Breastfeeding is a natural and normal way for babies to eat, if people do not understand that, they are in fact IGNORANT......and a little dumb IMO.

Not "biased" as far as breastfeeding being superior, just am well educated on the facts. Not only does the AAP state this but the WHO and CDC all have studies proven the overwhelming health benefits.

Thanks for reading.......because we disagree we cannot have conversation? You just contradicted yourself.......

Even the formula companies say that breastfeeding is superior. It says so right on the product labels: "Breastmilk is best for babies." There is nothing uncivilized about saying so.

Formula is artificial food. Formula is superior to breastmilk the same way Froot Loops are superior to real fruit.

Yes. Here is one male who agrees with all that. :)

She was covered up, should have went in the womens restroom, reminds me of my ex-sister in law who thought everyone wanted to see her used up left over breasts, people complained up the storm at just how ignorant she was for an ANGLO that is.

My ex-sister in law uses poor judgement on a routine basis shes from Benton Harbor Michigan but a lot of people complained when she breast fed in public, no common sense use the restroom, or feed at home or if you really want to show and tell go to a nudist colony.

So I was on the toilet this morning, eating an awesome breakfast taco with eggs and bacon and a tall cup of coffee and . . . What? You think there's something wrong with eating in the bathroom? Did that gross you out? Then why do people suggest breastfeeding mothers feed their babies in the bathroom?

agreed.

Although I think there should be designated areas in SOME situations -- the bathroom absolutely should NEVER be that area.

I personally never nursed my babies in public as I am modest and uncomfortable with people who stare. But do you think a public restroom is a proper place for an infant to eat? I mean the germs are abundant and just plain gross! Surely a baby who is fed with a bottle, would not have to got to the restroom?

Anglo? What do you mean by that?

I am a breastfeeding mom and I WILL be supporting the nurse in. it upsets me that anyone would even treat a mom the way they treated Michelle. to any that have ignorance towards public breastfeeding..WALK AWAY! or cover your face with a blanket! you go sit on the toilet why I feed my baby :)

There is NOTHING more natural than breastfeeding! That is why women have breasts... to be able to nourish their children!! If people don't like it, then don't look. Get over it!! The mothers should not be made to feel ashamed for feeding their children in the most natural and beneficial way possible.
I, too, did not breastfeed in public for personal reasons, but I wholeheartedly support those that do. I almost wish I was still nursing so I could join the nurse-in!!

I think that the people staring at a breast feeding woman should be the ones asked to leave for being creeps. If you don't want to see it, DON'T LOOK!! I breast fed both of my kids and if my baby was hungry while I was out, I would feed them! Sometimes I would bring pumped milk, but it's much easier to just feed straight from the tap =) I would go into a fitting room if I was in a store, but I have also sat under a tree in a park while my older one played. If you're uncomfortable with breast feeding, you may want to look at yourself and ask why. You see more boobs on TV than you see when a mother is nursing her child.

Well said, Jill!!

Hmm, I wonder if we asked those employees to go eat their lunches in a bathroom stall, how they would feel? Asking a mother to nurse her baby in a bathroom or even a fitting room is absurd.

When I see women breastfeeding whether I'm visiting them in their home or out in a Target, restaurant whatever, I think it's wonderful. I have two children one I did not breastfeed and the other I did and I did not nurse in public because I was too modest but I think women who do are amazing and I support them wholeheartedly as well.

For those that do look at it and think it's obscene or don't want to what was it "to see her used up left over breasts" well yes, you are ignorant.

I would love to be there to support this mom. She deserves our support. And Target should think long and hard about any employee that could actually be this rude to a patron.

I hadn't heard of this story. Thanks for sharing it, Christine. I have to be a bit of the oddball mom here and say that I'm neutral, at this moment, on the issue. There are so many factors at play here.
For instance, businesses--at least in my limited legal knowledge--have the right to make rules governing the place of business. Think of "no shirt, no shoes, no service." No shirt or no shoes out in the public at large, however, is not necessarily illegal. But, within the confines of the property owned by that business (private property), their policies are the rules. Target's breastfeeding policy is what it is. It's their private property, and if they were so inclined, they could make a policy saying "no one in our store shall wear North Carolina Tarheels memorabilia." That's their right as the property owner, and when we step into that store, we forfeit some of our rights, at least to my understanding of American laws.
Unfortunately, there is also not an unbiased source that I could find in a nonexhaustive Google search of this issue. Sorry, Christine, but let's face it, SheKnows is not exactly an unbiased source of journalism. They are advocates for women and mothers, and bully for them.
So, we're left with this woman, Michelle Hickman's, word against the Target employees'. It sounds like they asked her to follow the policy (a policy set by their employers and which these female employees need to follow if they want to stay employed) and she refused to move to a fitting area. Other reports say she was sitting on the floor in a "remote" location of the store "near" the fitting area. If that is indeed what she did, blocking footpaths is not exactly conducive to other shoppers' rights--nor is it particularly safe, polite, or commonsensical--either.
So, again, at this point, we don't know if Ms. Hickman was following Target's policies on breastfeeding or not. It doesn't sound like she went to the fitting room for the breastfeeding, and we also truly don't know if she was exposing herself or not. As it stands, it sounds like Ms. Hickman is trying to be a lightning rod for this issue--whether out of good or pure motives (to promote the healthfulness of breastfeeding or to show that it's a 'natural' action between mother and child) or less commendable ones (such as becoming famous or being bellicose with the Target employees, which I have to again stress, we don't know) remains to be seen.
A couple of chinks in the armor of "If you don't like it, just don't look," though. I doubt we'd apply these standards to people who are in the public eye but are simply exposing themselves.
That all said, I advocate breastfeeding, when possible for the mother and her support system. I did it myself with my 1 1/2 kids (long story). I would never condemn either a breastfeeding mother or a formula-feeding one. Please repeat after me, breastfeeding moms: "If you choose to formula feed, you are NOT a bad mother." Breastfeeding, while one means of feeding the child that is beneficial, is the Zeitgeist of our times--by and large, mostly there is huge support for BF'ing; as the Skeptical OB points out here and here (for starters), too, that breastfeeding, while it has its merits, is not the cure-all we would have it be.
Nonetheless, as a breastfeeding mom, I tried to plan my day accordingly--and, granted, I'm not a person who goes shopping often or for long periods of time, Target or elsewhere--and when I was in public and needed to do it, I did it in the comfort of my own van. Neither Target, nor any business as far as I know, is obligated to provide a breastfeeding space for us moms. That Babies'R'Us and other places, including small local businesses, are more breastfeeding-friendly means that those who support breastfeeding ought to 'vote' for them with their dollars, don't you think?
As to "just put them in the bathroom," just a brief comment here. As the Skeptical OB (again) points out, breastfeeding is often hard, painful, and inconvenient. Yet, shoving a mom into a bathroom--been there, done that with pumping only (sans infant), and it was awful!--only complicates matters more.
In the end, whether a mom can breastfeed in Target (or any store) is rather a small fish to fry, in my opinion. I'm FAR more concerned that a person in the United States has a means of livelihood to care for her family and a living wage, to boot; that he or she gets good, affordable healthcare via employer or some other means (that is to say, healthcare is a universal human right); and that any employee, man or woman, who needs to take advantage of the Family Medical Leave Act is allowed to do so. This FMLA aspect is predicated upon the idea that we have a decent FMLA policy in place--we currently do not, though some individual employers do--for Americans. We are far behind other developed countries in the FMLA regard; I'm not talking about 'you are mandated 12 weeks of UNPAID leave' for the birth of a child (applying to fathers and mothers) or to care for an ailing parent, child, or other relative. Every person should get paid leave for such things, but I won't harp on further about that.
It would be great if you can follow up on this issue for us, Christine, and let us know the developments.

awww, the little baby was hungry! Leave this mama alone. Breastfeeding in public shouldn't even be an issue, in my opinion. It is how we feed our babies, for crying out loud. As long as she was being modest about it, which it sounds like she was, then these employees were in the wrong. It sounds like Target could do a better job of training employees on respect for breasfeeding mamas. Breasfeeding in a bathroom is disgusting, and I imagine, terribly uncomfortable.

Having said all that, I don't think I agree with a "nurse-in". As breasfeeding mamas, we are always saying "if you don't like it, don't look" and then we force people to look by doing nurse-ins. I think it brings bad publicity to the issue.

I plan to follow this story - Thanks for all the support.

Leigh thanks for your honest and respectful response! I apologize deeply if it sounded as if I made formula feeding mothers seem less than mothers!

Terri - I agree not sure a nurse-in is the solution. Makes people hate it more.

All the other gals thanks!!!

People need to get over themselves. Everyone has boobs. Even men. (Theirs just aren't as big.) Womens' make milk to feed babies. It is natural.

Plus, the woman was COVERED. They make lots of blankety-type things to put over the chest area while nursing. I honestly don't see what peoples' problem is! Can't they just mind their own business and let others do their thing?

the fixation on glimpsing a square inch of a nursing woman's breast is absurd and childish. It reminds me of the prurience of some islamic nations in which women must dress head to toe in black in order to help males handle their urges.

Males need to just get over their urges. And feeding a baby is not really about those urges.

And really, you see far more on any beach than you see when a woman is discretely nursing on a chair in a store. The baby is covering the nipple and most of the rest of it is covered too. I am a male and I can't really see the problem. And from a nursing mother's standpoint, when baby wants food baby wants it NOW. You can't plan it out into one hour time slots it does not work that way.

I swear that sometimes Americans are the most infantilized over-sexed idiots on the planet.

Thank you for your male perspective.

As I read your comments a feeling of hope and happiness came over me!

you're welcome Christine.

Enjoy those children. From age 55, my perspective is that they grow up too fast!

all these comments and readers and I am the only person to recommend this post? Come on ladies you can do better....

Agreed! Good post!