So who'd be up for some political activism? Sign up here....

[theUrbanDryadLovesCremeEggs]

ok, you might've seen me bang on about this on other threads, but i think it is absurd that it is not illegal to harass a mother who is nursing in public.

i'm thinking of organising a mass public breastfeed, somewhere like Speaker's Corner, with loads of families, kids, babies, picnic etc. it would be very peaceful, no placards, no speeches, just a load of people, chilling in the sunshine.

i'd try to get the Press involved, issue a statement, raise awareness and let the Government know that this is an issue that won't go away.

i'm going to have a chat with my local LLL advisor at the Baby Cafe, see what she thinks. but in the meantime, i would love to know what other people think of the idea, how many people would be willing to come to something like that and show their support.

TIA

yellowrose, I don't want to be too negative about these ideas, but I really didn't twist your words! You said,
"I think a feed-in by say 20 women in the lobby of any City firm is an excellent idea actually. The problem is the security guards will get you out pronto if you haven't arrived there for a meeting. "

Well...to me that sounded like you thought it was a good idea, but likely to face the problem of security. Maybe I missed something, sorry.

I hate dampening enthusiasm about breastfeeding, but this sort of thing - a change in legislation, a change to attitudes - takes years and years to effect. It's lovely to have lots of bf women and babies together, and if it got in the paper (any paper, any paper at all - you can't always 'manage' the impact) it would be really good. But long-term campaigning is what works...yet I would agree small steps can be part of this.

ah can't read all thread, sorry but

bf in good and i will come if i happen to be in london that day (this is not impossible)

would be pro some sort of politicky thing. placards = good since people need to know WHY large numbers of women are bfding their kids en masse

this IS political. being nice-nice about it doesn't change that.

I'd feel most comfortable in a park or similar e.g. Peter Pan statue Ken Gdns.

oh no...please don't fight guys!! this is a peaceful thing!

ok - from what a lot of you are saying, i'm favouring Speaker's Corner, for one thing it's a nice open space and as we don't know exactly how many people are going to turn up, i think open spaces are a good idea. i don't like the idea of trespass - the idea was to feed in public, in a normal place where you would bf anyway. like a park. there is to be no placards. except perhaps a "Breastfeeding Picnic" one, so people know who we are. the whole idea is to not look like lentil weaving weirdoes.

i agree with what DC and TikTok are saying about the Sun. in fact, they were the first Press which sprung to mind, especially as their readership is exactly the type of person we want to reach.

but really - we need to focus. the idea isn't to raise awareness within the public. bf-ing is already rammed down new mothers' throats at antenatal classes and there isn't the postnatal care to support it. my original objective was to raise awareness within the government, to pass the legislation to make it illegal to harass a mother nursing in public, whether bf-ing, ff-ing, newborn or schoolage!! i firmly believe that more women would bf if they knew the law was on their side when it came to feeding in public.

i've had feedback from the LLL, who say that they are happy to involve themsekves and attached a copy of the Brreastfeeding Manifesto, so we can help raise awareness of this on the day, perhaps circulate copies or just let people know of the website.

apologies for typing errors - guess what i'm doing??!

so...we're saying Sat 19th May, at Speaker's Corner, from - what - midday onwards? everyone who can come, we would be happy to see you. bring picnics and we can all have a lovely family day ouit! (placrds will be confiscated!)

"i firmly believe that more women would bf if they knew the law was on their side when it came to feeding in public. "

disagree sorry

mothers don't feed because of familial/friends pressure, IMO

so raising public awareness/acceptance is essential

oooh Lio that's a great idea! how easy it is to get to from the Tube or whatever? bearing in mind that not everyone will know London that well.....

well, fillyjonk, from listening to people on here, a lot of mothers don't feed because of poor support postnatally. and raising awareness within the government by means of the Breastfeeding Manifesto etc will hopefully help to provide that support.

on a totally different notw, BabyUrban just managed to roll himself over all by himself!!

don't think it will ud, sorry

the support IS there from professionals, nct etc

its individual attitudes that need changing

i have always done advice work, mainly with benefits claimaints, teenage mothers etc. VERY low rates of bfding, and when chatting about it they would cite (directly or indirctly) attitudes of those around them

the law should be changed cos it is WRONG but I doubt it'd make much of a difference, tbh.

Hi UrbanDryad, didn't mean to muddy the waters and am fairly clueless about London geography - Peter Pan came to mind because of children/GOSH but can't really remember what it's like there (went approx 20 years ago!) and am very very happy to get myself and the family to Speaker's Corner - I actually think that you're going to find this even harder to organise the bigger the 'committee' gets

Re other people's ideas on how/where to do this: on 19 May I will turn up at the time/location of UD's choosing, and if others organise another event on another day then I will support that too if I can get there. I am willing to support all sorts of angles on promoting breastfeeding, from getting help on the mechanics of it to lobbying for a change in the law re harassment.

btw am too shy for a placard (whereas getting my boobs out in public doesn't bother me )

Tiktok, I really think you have got the wrong end of the stick. I never suggested trespassing or forcing one's way in despite saying I thought it was a good idea. I appreciate things can be misconstrued when posted rather than said verbally face to face. I guess my post must have been one of those !

Most women in the City are quite well educated and well informed about the benefits of bf. My comments were about many of the men who work in the City who have a "tits out for the lads" attitude.

I have no idea where dc works, but most law firms and merchant banks that I know of and where friends worked are not much for long maternity leave or long periods of bf (i.e. beyond one year). One female friend of mine, an oil/gas trader in a top US merchant bank, said a friend of hers got called a "c u n t" every times she walked past her male colleagues, so there you go. That sort of thing goes on the City every day, many women unfortunatley put up with it due to the high financial rewards. Perhaps I am one of the few on MN and elsewhere that are honest about sexism/racism in the City. I think it needs to be said.

Most of my colleagues didn't do bf for long because they left bottles with nanny/childminder/nursery to return to work at six months. This had mostly to do with the pressures of career/mortgage rather than lack of knowledge re. bf.

So yes, I agree that "political masturbation" as dc put it very nicely as usual is not a good idea - I actually don't think there is any point in preaching to the converted (i.e City women). However, MALE attitudes in the City re. motherhood/bf could do with an overhaul. There is still a huge amount of sexism in the Square Mile whether people wish to admit it or not. I reitertae that I don't think a demo. of bf mums in the City will do much to change that attitude. They will just portray them as hippy nutters. Just the kind of publicity one does not want.

I still think that Sure Start in deprived areas (Baby Cafe's etc.) and support through better ed. of mv/hv/gp is better than just raising awareness through demos.

I also agree with Filly that a MAJOR reason women (esp. young women and teenage mums) in many deprived areas of London give up with bf, is negative attitudes from husbands, boy friends, mothers, fathers, ill-informed friends. That is absolutely true. Negative peer pressure is a disaster.

FillyjonkIsMilitantAboutFruit, I think that it is a chicken and egg situation. If we had a law that protected our right to bf in public more people would do it in more places, more women would witness it, and it would help make a cultural change.

I am going to e-mail my MP now to see if he would support a Bill to protect mothers right to bf in public, should such a bill be introduced. Will let you know what he says.

Just e-mailed my Mp. If anyone else wants to contact theirs, then click here and put in your post code. It will find your MP and allow you to send tham an e-mail

YR: I didn't say you said trespassing or forcing was a good idea. I did say you thought going to feed in the lobby was an 'excellent idea' and quoted you saying precisely that, with your added rider that security would be a problem.

Clearly you didn't say exactly what you wanted to say, or else I have missed something. But don't say you think things are 'excellent ideas' if you don't think they are, and then I won't misunderstand

Thanks tiktok, I think I have a right to say things are excellent (the word "exellent" is a matter of opinion and you are blowing it out of all proportion) why are you so persistent in ticking me off for what I think most people realised was a bit of a laugh ? Who in their right minds would go and force their way into a company lobby with a baby attached to the boob ? FFS !

Easy tigers!!

Quite chilled, I made an innocent "excellent" remark and it has been blown sky high ! Dear me !

well, it sounds to me as if you agree with each other in the main but have slightly different approaches/attitudes - no harm in that!

Tiktok-really don't see how YR was blowing this "sky high" - she was simply pointing out what she meant, fair enough. No-one has the right to be high-handed on here, it happens too often on these threads! And that's my opinion btw!

oh and there's be misreading the last few posts, sorry! I meant use of "excellent" (or whatever the argument was over). Not read all thread anyway but wanted to comment, must go back to work now.

Run - but I didn't say she was blowing it sky high! You've mixed us up - you've read her post and thought it was mine!

This is silly - I'm bowing out now.

read my message below! You're right, it is silly!

"I think a feed-in by say 20 women in the lobby of any City firm is an excellent idea actually. The problem is the security guards will get you out pronto if you haven't arrived there for a meeting. "

I don't think tik tok got the wrong end of the stick at all, yellow rose.

I'm sure the city is very sexist and racist...but I don't think grinding your own axe is the answer.

The poorest breastfeeding rates are in the socially deprived areas and it's here we need to start making it normal and acceptable.

i'm sure i said this was supposed to be a peaceful thing!!

shoulda known better than to try and organise a group of women to do something non-militant!!

still, be that as it may, i'll be at Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park on the 19th of May 2007 from midday. i may bring a placard. i may also bring a picnic. i'll definitely be bringing a baby and possibly a husband too. i'd love to see as many people as possible, and as many picnics as possible too.

any queries, please email me at [email protected]