After giving birth, 96% of Australian mothers begin their breastfeeding journey.
By two months of age, 50% of babies are no longer exclusively breastfed.
There are many barriers to an ongoing breastfeeding relationship – and breastfeeding comfortably in public is one of them.
As a mother, your right to breastfeed in public is legally protected.
You’re not doing anything wrong by breastfeeding your baby in a cafe, park or shopping centre.
And yet, every week, there are stories in the news of mothers being asked to leave restaurants, or to breastfeed in the toilets.
Understandably, these stories often make other breastfeeding mamas feel nervous about feeding in public.
One group of women is out to change all that. Their new campaign, Bosom Buddies, aims to make breastfeeding mothers feel welcomed by society.
Breastfeeding isn’t something to be hidden away behind toilet cubicle doors; it’s something we should be seeing each and every day. What could be more natural than the sight of a mother feeding her baby?
This grassroots campaign has been launched to encourage individuals and businesses to think about what they can do to make the world a friendlier place for breastfeeding mothers.
The hope is that the campaign will encourage people to do more to make breastfeeding mothers feel welcome in public places. It could be something simple like offering a reassuring smile to a mama breastfeeding in a public place, or it could be a cafe adopting a policy of offering a free slice of cake to breastfeeding mothers.
The campaign gives individuals and businesses the chance to pledge their support to women breastfeeding in public.
If you have ever been a breastfeeding mother, think back to the experiences and interactions that encouraged you to continue breastfeeding in public.
Was it the kind server in your favourite pizza restaurant, who offered to cut up your pizza for you because you were busy breastfeeding your baby?
Or was it the shop owner who found you a comfy chair to sit on while you breastfed your baby?
Perhaps it was the simple smile and nod of reassurance from a stranger on the bus?
Whatever it was, now’s your chance to pledge to do the same. You can make your pledge today, on the Bosom Buddies website, and join the global movement to make breastfeeding mothers feel a little more welcome.
Bosom Buddies is a positive campaign. It focuses on celebrating stories of women breastfeeding in public. Breastfeeding mothers are invited to share their stories of random acts of kindness, and how these made breastfeeding in public easier. You can read some of these success stories here. Don’t forget to add your own stories of positive public breastfeeding experiences.
You can follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
To find out a little more about the campaign, take a look at this video. Internationally Certified Lactation Consultant, Meg Nagle (aka the Milk Meg), explains why she wanted to make breastfeeding in public easier for breastfeeding mamas.
Recommended Reading: Are Breastfeeding Mothers Exhibitionists [Humour] and Should Women Cover Up When They’re Breastfeeding?
