While dining in an area restaurant, a young mother’s infant became fussy with hunger.
So she did what comes naturally, draping herself and baby with a large cloth she began to breastfeed her child.
Though discreet, the act offended another patron who notified management, which then asked the young mother to leave.
The scene embarrassed the young mother, who, it can be assumed, will give pause when considering whether to eat there again.
Though they would not disclose the location of the incident, officials with the local public health department say complaints of breastfeeding in public still exist.
It is a goal of the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department to rid such stigmas by educating the public about the overwhelming benefits of breastfeeding and to encourage businesses to be breast-feeding friendly.
A mother’s milk is the best diet for an infant, said Deidre Wilson, a public health nurse with the local health department.
Wilson said the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an exclusive diet of breast milk for a baby’s first six months and a diet of breast milk for a full year. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for two years, with its target in countries where children may be malnourished.
Unfortunately, breastfeeding is not where it should be in the United States.
Statistics show that while almost 80 percent of newborns are breastfed nationwide, that drops to less than 38 percent by the time they are three months old.
“It’s not the norm in our culture,” said Wilson.
Several things contribute, she said.
First is the misconception that formula is as good for a baby as breast milk.
Flat out, it’s not, said Chardel Hastings, administrator of the health department, noting that formula lacks natural antibodies that help babies resist illnesses. Babies also digest breast milk better than formula. Studies also link breast feeding to lower rates of childhood obesity, diabetes and the risk of developing asthma.
Despite these facts, breastfeeding is not socially acceptable in some circles.
