It couldn't be that the room was meant for bottle feeding moms. The room is clearly labeled as a "nursing room". And besides, who expects bottle feeding moms to go to a special room to feed their babies? They can just feed their babies out in the food court where everyone else eats! No, that can't be it.
Maybe the people that made the sign couldn't find a symbol for nursing that is universally recognizable? I mean, the bottle is widely recognized as a symbol of infant feeding. But there's the international breastfeeding symbol, so that couldn't be it!
Maybe the person in charge of the sign knew that children would be walking by and wanted to avoid posting something inappropriate? But nursing is not obscene, and is actually intended for children! That certainly couldn't be the reason for the nonsensical symbol choice.
The only logical conclusion is that it must have been a simple mistake! Yes, that must be it. And if it was a mistake, surely they'd be thankful if someone corrected it?
There, that's better.
AWESOME. SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI probably would have done the same thing! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteGood job!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING! :) Good work.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteDid they take it down? That is awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, I haven't been back. I hope it stays up for a while! I laminated it, so it's nice and durable and not junky looking. :)
DeleteThat's funny! Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is why everyone has such negative views about women who breastfeed. Because of the constant nit picking and overly dramatic reactions to something so small. How about instead of wasting time blogging about a stupid mall sign you volunteer to teach women how to breastfeed successfully, or find something else to help raise awareness.
ReplyDeleteIf you didn't find it as amusing as anyone else then that's fine, but you could better waste your time somewhere else than a lactivist blog if you feel that way. Or at least keep your pointless comments off pointless articles meant entirely for humor.
DeleteTHIS helps raise awareness. Talking about it. Making it known. Working to change the expectation that baby=bottle. THAT is the problem with the sign, not the sign itself.
DeletePlease don't generalize. Not "everyone" has negative views about breastfeeding mothers. Some of us support them and recognize the difficulties they face because of cultural norms, like the belief that breastfeeding should only occur behind closed doors.
DeleteLOL, everyone has negative views? Or just people in your sphere? How do you know the blogger doesn't already volunteer to teach women how to breastfeed successfully? Raising awareness is what she's doing, unfortunately for you she isn't doing it in a preapproved by you manner. Fortunately for the rest of us, she doesn't need your approval.
Deleteyes many have negative views about bf moms and they are perpetuated by women who constantly think i bf why cant you. I am very pro breastfeeding and i totally understand the symbol and what it means, i agree if there is a nursing room it should have a bf symbol on it. there are women however that breastfeed with bottles. they are called exclusive pumpers. Many of them tried everything they could to nurse their babies but for whatever reason, it just did not work out. More often than not they did not have or could not find the support that they so urgently needed when they were going through difficulties. Many of them would have given anything to be able to nurse their babies but just couldn't. These women work three times as hard as anyone else to provide their babies with breast milk. Many people look at the bottles and assume that they are filled with formula. These women pump many times 12 times a day at first to give their babies liquid gold. They should be applauded not looked down upon because nursing didn't work out for them. If more women had a positive and helpful attitude instead of the holier than thou one, breastfeeding rates might rise.
DeleteThere is no holier than thou attitude here, there is no judgement of bottle feeding mamas (formula or expressed milk), or any mamas for that matter. Don't make this about something that it's not. A nursing room should not be marked with a bottle. How can nursing be seen as normal when the bottle is the symbol for a nursing room? The bottle would be appropriate if it was labeled as a mothers' room or as a baby care room.
DeleteI am a lactivist that will be the first to jump in and defend a formula feeding mom. She is caring for her baby as she sees fit. It's not my business why and no one has the right to criticize her for her feeding choices. Education should be available and moms should be able to get all the help they need to breastfeed successfully if they so choose. Booby traps and bad advice need to be eliminated and a baby nursing in public should not get a second glance, just like a bottle fed baby should not get a second glance. They are babies eating, they are equal and they should be treated as such.
Maybe a man created the sign ;)
ReplyDeleteIt couldn't have possibly been to show that it is also a good place to pump?
ReplyDeleteCame over from Leaky Boob. Love this! New follower :)
ReplyDeleteYAYYYYY! More boobies less bottles!
ReplyDeleteWow, just wow. I pump, which means, I feed our child with a bottle. What if I was at the mall and I wanted to pump? You breastfeed and that is AWESOME. You too can breast feed your child in the food court. You want to stand on a soapbox? You should plainly stand up for mothers, breast fed or not. Whatever the reason someone, breast feeds or doesn't is their choice. We as mothers should be pro mothers. The sign COULD have been different. Or even both images.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely pro mother. I just want breastfeeding to be seen and accepted for what it is, the normal way to feed a baby.
DeleteBoth images would have been great. They could have called it an "infant feeding room" or a "baby care room", and had a picture of a baby, or a diaper, or whatever. Or they could have had symbols depicting both breastfeeding and bottle feeding. But to have a room clearly labeled for nursing, and then to have a symbol of a bottle makes no sense.
A bottle sign excludes all mothers who don't use bottles. The world breastfeeding symbol is simply a mother holding her baby in the nursing position, which is same for bottle feeding and breast feeding mums, it's less exclusionary. I agree that both symbols should be used, and I also think it should be referred to as an Infant Feeding room or Parents Station. But it's not, it's called a NURSING room. Which implies nursing. The pairing of that word with the image of a bottle isn't designed in any way to be welcoming and supportive to mums, it's just lazy.
DeleteDon't be more angry at MoaM for blogging about it than you are about the picture in the first place. If the picture being a bottle isn't a big deal to you (even though it excludes all non bottle feeding mothers), then the picture of a breastfeeding symbol which excludes non breastfeeders shouldn't be a big deal either.
Love it! Ignore the posts from the insecure. Normalizing nursing!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a nursing mom, but this really doesn't upset me. Maybe the bottle symbol with the nursing words was a way to include everyone. I'm a working mom so my baby takes a bottle of expressed milk. He is also very easily distracted and needs a quiet place to eat, so we would use this room to bottle feed. I am all for being able to breastfeed, but I don't think others should judge when a baby is bottle fed. And I agree with Shayla that some people are over the top with being so nit picky. As someone who has to pump in her car at work, I would gladly take a room with a bottle on it. Pick your battles.
ReplyDeleteI disagree; it's not a way to include everyone. Women who bottle-feed don't need "private rooms" because feeding their children in public isn't considered lewd or inappropriate. The bottle is meant to convey the same thing as the words, just like a stick figure in a dress is on the bathroom sign that says "women." The sign creator just couldn't figure out how to convey "breastfeeding."
DeleteHow is it nit picking or being overly dramatic? Shayla? It's fricken ridiculous that a NURSING ROOM has a sign with a picture of a BOTTLE on it. That "stupid mall sign" symbolizes everything that's wrong with society's views on breastfeeding. They can't even get the sign on the door to the room they are shoving us in, correct.
ReplyDeleteGood for you hon! Thanks for the blog post. :)
Shayla, do you really think that kind of comment will go over well here? BREASTFEEDING IS NORMAL. What she did is awesome. It's the little battles that will help us win the war. You're either with us (normal) or not....
ReplyDeleteIt's not like the reactions from formula feeding mothers are any less dramatic. I've heard of plenty of women say "well, my kid had formula and he was just fine" in response to "breastfeeding is best" - which makes no sense and does not negate the fact that breastfeeding is what is best! People need to stop promoting formula over breastfeeding. Ultimately, it is the INFERIOR nutrition. Obviously, some women have trouble doing it but it's mostly just women who are either misinformed about the benefits of the breast or they are just plain too lazy or uncaring to breastfeed. Breastfeeding needs to be a promoted over formula. End of story.
ReplyDeleteYou are misinformed Abby and your stank holier than thou bf attitude is exactly what women don't need. There is much to know about bf and also so much that can go wrong. I had bf two babies before this one and head many problems this time around. I made the sacrifice that many women don't have the gumption to make and exclusively pumped for my son ask while working full time. What women need to be successful is support, and believe me, it's not always easy to find. If more women to an attitude of helping others be successful instead of I can do it why can't you, the world would be a better place and we would probably have migrate women bf
Deleteabby- I find it offensive that you think women who don't breast feed are lazy and/or misinformed. i was WELL informed about the benefits of breastfeeding,an Tried to,but,didn't produce ANY milk.so,i guess i had to go with the 'inferior' nutrition as you put it.would you prefer i had let my son starve?yes,he is formula fed,but he is healthy and happy,and I'll be damned if I'll let someone make me feel bad that his nutrition comes from a bottle
DeleteI saw the same thing in a mall once and I was totally annoyed/perplexed. For the record, I checked...there was no electrical outlet in the room. So for many moms wanting to pump it would have been a big disappointment, since a lot of women like electric pumps and not everyone carries around a big battery pack to run the pump. The thing about mall feeding rooms also confuses me, since in many cases you'd have to run about a 1/2 a mile to the corner of the food court to feed your baby, when the whole mall is filled with benches and, for more privacy, fitting rooms in many a store. Are they really for the convenience of mothers and babies, or are they just an excuse to ban breastfeeding mothers from other parts of the mall (we have a room for THAT...)
ReplyDeleteI'm just amazed that you happen to have the sticker with you! Haha.
ReplyDeleteI didn't- I planned ahead of time. ;)
DeleteAgreed Abby!
ReplyDeleteI loved the "new" sign :) great job!
Hahaha good job! Everyone makes mistakes...so glad you caught this & corrected it.
ReplyDeleteI can see the point on both sides of the argument. Honestly, being that my 8mo old has been breast and formula fed since he was 5 days old I have been on the receiving end of judgement from both ends of the spectrum. However I have to say I think the comment "Obviously, some women have trouble doing it but it's mostly just women who are either misinformed about the benefits of the breast or they are just plain too lazy or uncaring to breastfeed" is a completely ignorant and insensitive comment to make. How dare you assume you know what people are going through and how irresponsible is it to say something like that not knowing who may be reading and how your comment may make them feel when they simply cannot breastfeed for whatever reason, even after giving it their all? Comments and view points like that are the reason that mom's who choose breastfeeding get a bad name. I agree with the person who said it should be about supporting mothers, not tearing down a woman because she's caring for her child the best way SHE is able...everyone is different and every one of us make decisions for our children based on what fits in our lives. Get over yourself.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I was reading through the comments and that one irritated me too. My first child was formula fed because, even with assistance, we couldn't make breastfeeding work. I am breastfeeding my second child because this time things worked out better. I am not lazy nor was I misinformed or uncaring with my first. I really agree with you.
Deleteyou know what, sorry but this is all petty, as amom of three i took pride in the fact that none of my kids ever had a bottle. then number four came, she is currently 9 months old and inthe hospital for her ninth stay, formula is helping her grow=saving her life. 30 years ago she would have a life expectancy of 18 months, with the advances in medicine she can live as long as any of us. when you think about children in terms of a blessing to be alive who cares what they eat or what the sign looks like.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better! <3
ReplyDeleteCool. I approve. That first sign was made by people who thought breast-feeding was too controversial... We live in strange times.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really unfortunate is not that there is a bottle on the sign of the nursing room, but that there is even a room at all. Now a room for pumping may be necessary in some places such as an office or other place of employment. But a mall? Why would someone want/need to pump at a mall? And if you want to BF your baby at the mall, the best way you can help to normalize it is not to retreat to the furthest reaches of the food court, but to nurse your baby wherever you happen to be when s/he needs to be fed. If you are uncomfortable w/ it, practice at home first. Be prepared w/ clothing that will help. Find a support system. But by all means, don't ever be ashamed to do what is natural for mom & baby.
ReplyDeleteI see your point, and I do sometimes have mixed feelings about nursing rooms, as well as nursing covers. I love when a mom nurses out in the open, and agree that it's important to normalize. But at thef end of the day, I'm behind anything that will help more moms be successful at nursing, and if a nursing room is going to help a mom feel more welcome or comfortable nursing, then im for it.
DeleteAnd like the commenter below said, there are reasons beside "modesty" that a mom might prefer to use a nursing room. Corralling older kids is one, a very distract able baby might be another. :)
as far as the room, i appreciate them. with young kids and a baby the rooms with doors are a nice way to keep the other three out of trouble while nursing. whTEVer they want to call the room.
ReplyDeletesuggestion for moam-how bout promoting organ donation? babies, kids, and adults die each day waiting for the organs that will save their lives.
That is a great cause! Unfortunately, with two little ones and a husband that works a lot, I don't have much free time. With the limited time that I do have, I'm trying to stick to topics that im most passionate about, and that have affected me personally. I just don't have time to take on every cause.
DeleteAnd just for the record, cause I've seen a couple of people mention this- the little switcharoo I did is not the extent of what I do to promote breastfeeding. It's just something I enjoyed doing in my very limited free time, mostly for fun. I'm glad so many people had a fun time reding about it too. :)
I was kicked out of a 'mother's room' because a lady said I "can just feed my babies out in the food court where everyone else eats" She said I didn't belong there, that that room was designed for 'real' mothers like her, who cared enough to breastfeed. It was one of the most horrible moments of my life and I felt so unbelievably dejected and humiliate that it was breaking point for me and the start of severe postnatal depression. I had tried so unbelievably hard to make breastfeeding work - much harder than anyone ever should. I had done EVERYTHING including holding off from using formula until my baby had to be admitted to hospital for dehydration. He was dieing and I was still concern with giving him formula cause "breast is best". I was not lazy. Or uneducated. Or uncaring. I was undiagnosed with a medical condition which servilely limits my ability to make milk. It took me a REALLY long time to come to terms with my 'disability' but fortunately for me and my first child and the others who came after him, I became a very proud bottle 'nurser'. I often bottle feed in quite areas, topless to provide skin to skin and spent our feeding time as a wonderful intimate way to bond. I grew to LOVE bottle feeding because for us bottle is best. It took me a LONG time to ever have to courage to step into another 'mother's room' and I often bottle 'nursed' in the car if out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the first few lines of this blog it almost bought tears to my eyes, I nearly went back to a place I haven't been to for a long time. I get it is meant to be humorous, the things you wrote and said. But I hope the next time you decide to suppress one women's right to have the ability to be welcomed into somewhere quite and private to bottle feed her baby to enhance a women's right to have somewhere quite and private to breastfeed her baby, you may remember my story first. We all have the right to make and be supported in making feeding time an enjoyable, amazing time for both mum and baby and we can all work together towards this if we can just be considerate of one another.
lisa...im so sorry that you went through that. it is just horrible and deplorable because people dont know your journey. Im glad that you found a way to make nursing work for you. I know what its like to lose a bf relationship. its a loss that people who have good relationships just cant understand. great post!!!!!!!!! hopefully, some people will get it
DeleteLisa, I'm genuinely sorry that you were treated that way. It boggles my mind that human beings could be that ugly to each other. "Real mom"- what does that even mean? Feeding method does not make one a "real" mom or not. So, so sorry that you had to go through that.
DeleteI love hearing how you bottle nursed your baby. That is so beautiful. You must have an amazing bond with your daughter. <3
Please know that by putting up the breastfeeding symbol, I was not intending to exclude any bottle feeding mothers that wanted to use that room. Like I said earlier, if the room had said something like, "Infant feeding room" or "infant care room" and had a nondescript baby symbol, or maybe even both feeding symbols, I'd have thought that was great. I'm not anti bottle. For me, it was just that the room said "nursing", the sign didn't match, and I wanted to make it match,
And the bit in my post about how bottle feeding mothers can just use the food court like everyone else- that was pure sarcasm. (Thought about adding something about that, but I didn't want to clutter up the post). It was referring to the fact that, at least in my part of the country, no one balks when they see a mom bottlefeeding her baby whenever, wherever, but when a mom begins to nurse she's often asked or expected to find somewhere else to nurse. I was definitely NOT trying to say that a bottle feeding mom was not welcome to use the room if she wanted to, that was just my tongue in cheek way of poking fun at our society's emberassment when it comes to nursing breasts. I'm sorry if the lack of clarity there was hurtful. Thank you for sharing your experience- I think it's important to hear from moms with all different kinds of experiences and to respect them all.
Lisa, if you had never even considered breastfeeding your child, that woman's comments were still inappropriate, inaccurate, and downright cruel. I'm sorry you experienced that.
DeleteI perosnally think that if women didn't have drugs during childbirth labor, and ate right and did what women have done for years, there wouldn't be problems with breastfeeding. Our country is too "formula" norm, which is so half ass backwards. More moms need to research and get help on breastfeeding and know that THAT is the norm, however there are problems with it sometimes, I still strongly believe a lot of them are created by other things.
ReplyDeleteOh, so the epidural caused my firstborn's recessed chin? Thanks for the info; I'll be sure to let my doc know.
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