Breastfeeding mother let down by local hospital
As we read the article “Mom filmed while breastfeeding her baby at Cape Breton Regional Hospital” (Cape Breton Post, April 16), we had competing emotions.
On one hand, we were so pleased to see that the public’s response to this event was positive and supportive of this motherinfant pair. We are inspired by the bravery of Nicole Fraser (the mom filmed) in repeatedly trying to secure help, and we commend Cape Breton Post reporter Nicole Sullivan’s coverage of this event.
And yet, despite this supportive response by the media and those directly involved, once again, those in a position of authority let a breastfeeding mother down.
Although the Cape Breton Regional Hospital identifies as breastfeeding friendly, hospital security did not appear to recognize the implications of this mother’s experience. An environment that claims to be breastfeeding friendly is meant to have all staff educated and supportive of what that entails. Yet the onus remains on breastfeeding women to empower themselves – women who already have to fight stigma associated with breastfeeding in public.
As for the man filming with the phone, this was an act of voyeurism and should have been treated as such. (How far would things have had to go before security decided to respond?) Letting people get away with this sort of behavior with no repercussions is not acceptable. We are hopeful that the loud public protest to this upsetting experience of a motherbaby pair will lead to further public support of breastfeeding mothers in Cape Breton and beyond.
Further, the fact that this incident occurred at all needs attention. The #MeToo movement was intended to raise awareness of widespread sexual harassment. Despite great effort from groups such as the Breastfeeding Community of Practice, which aims to support breastfeeding and to desexualize the act of breastfeeding, this case has demonstrated that mothers breastfeeding in public may have reason to join this movement.
Events such as this lead to the development of distrust in the safety of public spaces. It is unacceptable that a mother should be concerned for her safety when feeding her baby. Kathryn Hayward, MN, RN, IBCLC Trena Slaunwhite, BA, BDT/PPDT (DONA), FACCE
Shannan Grant, PDt/ RD, MSc, PhD Tess Laidlaw, PhD
(On behalf of The Breastfeeding Community of Practice, a volunteer network of individuals who support breastfeeding in Halifax Regional Municipality.)