Breastfeeding mothers are taking to the streets to declare their right to feed their children in public.
A protest is planned in Brighton on Thursday, December 15 by women outraged at cases where mothers have been told not to breastfeed.
The demonstration was called after Claire Jones-Hughes, the co-creator of www.brightonmums.com, was confronted in a café by a woman who said it was “unpleasant” that she was breastfeeding in public and told her to cover herself with a towel.
The 38-year-old mother-of-two said the experience, in Wai Kika Moo Kau in Kensington Gardens, Brighton, was upsetting.
She said: “Because it was just me and baby, I felt extremely vulnerable, despite the support of another customer.
“I had been publicly bullied, plain and simple.”
Faruk Bulut, the manager of the café, said there was no ban on women breastfeeding.
Support
He said: “In general we are relaxed about it. We like some discretion as well.
“That doesn’t mean they have to cover themselves with a towel.
“The lady was discreet, so in that case we were on her side.”
Women are being encouraged to gather and feed their children as part of the flashmob at the Clock Tower in central Brighton at 1pm on Thursday.
Brighton and Hove is in the top three local authorities in the country for the number of women who are breastfeeding their children.
The city’s Children and Young People’s Trust launched a peer support scheme to help new mothers and act as a shoulder to lean on.
Health
Research shows that stomach upsets and chest and ear infections are more common in formula-fed babies and there are lots of health benefits for breastfeeding mums as well.
There is a reduction in the risk of ovarian and breast cancer the longer a mother breastfeeds.
It also helps promote a strong bond between mother and baby.
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